Hartford Courant: Vernon Connecticut FY 2011-2012 Budget Adopted at Annual Town Meeting

Mayor McCoy: FY 2011-2012 Budget Adopted at Annual Town Meeting
Government Announcements

Mayor McCoy and the Vernon Town Council Tuesday held the Annual Town Meeting at Rockville High School, where 127 qualified registered voters and property owners voted overwhelmingly to adopt the fiscal year 2011-2012 Budget.

The $79,293,749.00 budget focuses on several key hallmarks, including economic development, energy efficiency, and a reduction in the Town's tax rate, from 30.02 to 29.90. The adoption of the budget marks the first time in 12 years that the budget was not sent to a town-wide referendum.

"I am very pleased that the residents and taxpayers of Vernon approved this budget with overwhelming support," Mayor McCoy said. "With this budget, the community will continue to receive all of the great services currently provided, both at a lower cost to the taxpayer and with increased efficiency."

"Vernon's residents and taxpayers will be very happy with the spending plan put together by the Mayor, the Town Council and the Board of Education," added Deputy Mayor Brian Motola. "Taxes will not increase while services will remain intact."

The budget fully funds all services provided to citizens, including public safety. Police Chief James Kenny stated that, "The Vernon Police department is grateful that the citizens supported the upcoming budget and we will continue to provide the best possible services to the community with the funding provided."

Vernon Fire Chief William Call added that, "The Fire Department is very pleased that the Mayor's Administration has addressed its needs, including safety equipment, uniforms, and fire apparatus. We are pleased that the people approved the proposed budget presented to them."

Overall, the budget has a 0.73 percent increase from fiscal year 2010-2011. Mainly attributing to the historically low increase is the addition of capital improvement and debt expenditures, increasing by $766,763.00 or 13.96 percent from the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Spending on general government and education decreased in the budget by $97,872.00 or 0.38 percent and $96,601.00 or 0.20 percent, respectively.

"I am delighted with the passing of the 2011-2012 budget at the annual town meeting," said Dr. Mary Conway, Superintendent of Vernon Schools. "The budget is fair and reasonable and allows the school system to maintain current class sizes and services to children in the schools. I am especially appreciative of the support and hard work of the board of education, the administrative team, the town council, and the mayor who united as a team to prepare and promote this budget."

With the approval of the fiscal year 2011-2012 budget at the Town Meeting and avoidance of a referendum, taxpayer money will be saved and a budget fully implemented, allowing for municipal government to continue delivering services without interruption to the residents. Commenting on the importance of passing the budget at the Annual Town Meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Bruce Dinnie said that, “I am pleased that the budget passed and that we can now focus on summer camp for the children and preparing our pools and beaches for this summer.”


"I would like to thank my Administration and the Town Council for supporting this budget and working hard to ensure that the residents of Vernon were delivered the best possible budget and thoroughly informed about it," said Mayor McCoy. "The fact that this budget was not sent to referendum, for the first time in 12 years, is a testament of the job that we are doing for the Town of Vernon. That being said, I would like to thank the residents and taxpayers of Vernon for their support of this budget and for allowing me to serve as their Mayor."

Jason-McCoy Mayor-of-Vernon Welcomes You to Vernon Connecticut- Video

Jason-McCoy Mayor-of-Vernon Welcomes You to Vernon Connecticut- Video

Council agrees to recycling change; Vernon will go to automated single stream

Council agrees to recycling change; Vernon will go to automated single stream

VERNON — Town Council members voted Tuesday to make a major upgrade to the town’s trash and recycling routine by moving to single-stream recycling and using automated trucks. The Mayor’s Department Head of the Department of Public works explained that by doing this the Town will save $225,000.00. Mayor McCoy said this will not only be good for the environment but it makes good fiscal sense which is something that Vernon will need in these tough fiscal times.

Mayor Jason McCoy | Facebook

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Article | ReminderNews Rockville Public Library Vernon Connecticut: Symbols Returns

Article ReminderNews: "Rockville — 12/15/2009

Symbols return to library steps" Mayor McCoy said.

McCoy For Mayor: Vernon: Mayor Wins 2nd Term; GOP Keeps Council Majority -- Courant.com

McCoy For Mayor: Vernon: Mayor Wins 2nd Term; GOP Keeps Council Majority -- Courant.com

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Mayor, Unions Reach Tentative Agreements - Courant.com

Mayor, Unions Reach Tentative Agreements - Courant.com: "Mayor, Unions Reach Tentative Agreements"

Mayor Jason McCoy has reached tentative, three-year labor agreements with three of the four unions representing at least 57 town employees who will not receive a raise in first year of the agreement.The agreements cover three Water Pollution Control Authority and seven Department of Public Works supervisors and town staff professionals. WPCA supervisors will receive a 3 percent salary hike over the life of the agreement; DPW supervisors, 2 percent; and the professionals, 2.5 percent.The agreements also freeze the value of sick days at their present level for town employees hired after 1998, increase employee contributions for preferred provider organization health coverage to 18 percent and a slight increase for HMOs. Also, anyone hired after January 2010 will not be included in the current pension plan but will be offered a 457 plan (similar to a 401(k)) which includes a 50 percent contribution match by the town up to 4 percent of the employee's salary.Also, town employees seeking shared payments from the town covering the cost of college course tuition will have to maintain a "B" average, instead of current "C" requirement.McCoy said the agreements, which took a lot of compromise to reach, were shaped in large part by the poor economy that has cut into town revenues. They also will help reduce the possibility of layoffs, he said.Contract talks with the union representing secretaries in the Department of Public Works remain in arbitration, McCoy said.


— Joseph A. O'Brien Jr.

Journal Inquirer > McCoy Vernon’s choice: progress or innuendo

Journal Inquirer > Letters To The Editor > Vernon’s choice: progress or innuendo: "Vernon’s choice: progress or innuendo
By Jason L. McCoy
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:05 PM EDT"


Vernon’s choice: progress or innuendo
By Mayor Jason L. McCoy

In the election for mayor and Town Council in Vernon, our residents have two choices: They can choose progress fiscally, technologically, and environmentally by supporting me as mayor of Vernon, and the folks running with me — Town Council candidates and members Dan Anderson, Bill Campbell, Dan Champagne, Mark Etre, Judy Hany, Brian Motola, Sean O’Shea, Harry Thomas, and Board or Education candidates and members George Apel, Laura Bush, Anne Fischer, and Vicky Rispoli. Or they can choose accusation and innuendo not based on fact or reality.Recently there has been a lot of rigmarole advanced by political operatives who try to confuse issues they have created to blur the progress over the last two years in Vernon. They have made personal attacks on me; these political operatives have made personal attacks on anyone who has supported progress and change in Vernon.

In the last two years the budgets I have proposed to citizens of the town of Vernon have been supported by the Vernon Taxpayers Association, as well as the Vernon teachers association (Vernon Education Association).These last two years have been difficult for our town and every town in Connecticut, just as they have been difficult for the public. These people have worked to control the unnecessary growth of this town’s governmental spending, they support cooperation between the Town Council and the Board of Education, and have worked to increase non-property tax revenues to the town so it is not totally reliant on real estate property taxation to fund its budgets. They have held town governmental spending at less than 1 percent, and brought you two budgets with two tax rate or mill rate decreases. They have found cost savings each year that amounts to over $2 million in areas like in health insurance, passed policies that reduce fixed costs for governmental fuels and electricity, increased the police job clearance rates, increased the Connecticut Mastery Test scores for students each year, and paid off $1 million in debt the town owed, thereby reducing future budgets before they even start.

They also have implemented electronic citizen complaint systems; hired top department heads to implement policy initiatives; repaired dangerous bridges after the town had ignored the danger for the last 20 years; completed school building projects on time, without delay and under budget; replaced 20-year-old math books and replaced reading books and resources for grammar-school students; added school readiness at each grammar school; saved sports for kids without implementing pay-to-play programs; supported our school bands; with new uniforms; passed budgets on the first referendum in 2008 and 2009; implemented senior tax-relief programs; required school budgetary transfers be made only after the Board of Education’s elected officials vote to approve the budget transfers; passed a hybrid vehicle tax exemption ordinance to encourage citizens to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

We have implemented a legislative support program through hiring governmental relations experts to work on Vernon’s behalf to work on stopping state laws that force requirements that drive our budgets up every year for no reason. You have seen huge support for Vernon from Gov. Jodi Rell when she funded the Roosevelt Mills project, funded the completion of the Town Hall renovations and funded the Vernon Arts Center at the old kindergarten building and the Vernon-Bolton Lakes Water Pollution Control Authority, along with the redevelopment of Village Street.This was done in the face of the 2004 and 2005 road and school bonding of $100 million of bond debt starting to be repaid in 2008, a decreases in local revenue totaling of nearly $604,000 for recording fees, building permits, conveyance taxes, along with a reduction in state revenue sharing from the State of Connecticut and Vernon in the amount of roughly $1 million. Just take a look at your tax bill — it tells the story of the decrease in revenue, $19 million this year and $20 million last year.All of these things have been accomplished by these folks I refer to who are running with me, with the support of department’s heads I have hired and or managed, without pay cuts, without layoffs, without threats of service reductions.

Over the last two years you never heard me as mayor or these folks I refer to who are running with me threaten to cut services for residents or hike your taxes. We have only said: We can figure it out. I am sure that would have been easier. No tricks, no threats, just good fiscal management of our government. As your mayor along with people running for Town Council and the Board of Education we have restored Vernon’s budget to an honest and open document requiring transfers to be voted on and approved.

I ask that you support lower taxes, controls on spending, better schools and safer streets by voting for me, Mayor Jason McCoy and the folks running with me for the Vernon Town Council Dan Anderson, Bill Campbell, Dan Champagne, Mark Etre, Judy Hany, Brian Motola, Sean O’Shea, Harry Thomas, and Bd. of Ed candidates and members George Apel, Laura Bush, Anne Fischer, and Vicky Rispoli.

The writer is the mayor of Vernon Jason McCoy.

Mayor Jason L. McCoy proposed to the Vernon Town Council pilot programs to assist Senior Citizens on fixed incomes

On October 5 2009 Mayor Jason L. McCoy proposed to the Vernon Town Council pilot programs to assist Senior Citizens on fixed incomes. The Two programs were adopted at that meeting.

The first Proposal that Mayor Jason McCoy proposed was that the Town Council adopt a Town of Vernon Elderly and Disabled Property Tax Relief Program § 12-129N, this program is one of two programs that senior citizens can use tighter to reduce their property taxes. The Property Tax Relief for elderly or disabled property owners age sixty five or older that have joint income of $37,700. At the meeting Council Member Bill Campbell increased the elderly income requirement to $37,700 to expand the number of citizens in Vernon who would be eligible for the program. On October 5, 2009 the Vernon town council approved Mayor Jason McCoy’s proposal for elderly and or disabled property tax relief program authorized pursuant to Conn. gen. stat. §12-129n, entitled "optional tax relief program for certain homeowners age 65 or over or who are permanently and totally disabled.

The first Proposal that Mayor Jason McCoy proposed was that the Town Council adopt a Town of Vernon Freeze Property Tax Relief Program. The Program is available for Senior Citizens who are 70 years or older or spouses of deceased property owners who are 62 years or older, those seniors who are 62 or older must be that age at the time of death of a spouse who is 70 or older. The program was proposed and adopted to help them freeze their assessment on their homes to prevent an increase in their taxes to assist them with dealing with living on fixed income. The program requires that any amount of property tax that is not paid due to the freeze during the senior’s homeowner ownership is repaid to the Town upon sale of the home. In most case this is a relatively small sum that is required to be repaid but helps seniors plan expenses while they live on fixed incomes. On October 5, 2009 the Vernon town council approved Mayor Jason McCoy’s proposal for the elderly freeze property tax relief program.

The Director of Finance James Luddecke and Town Assessor David Wheeler were present to answer questions regarding the program. Seniors should contact David Wheeler to check to see if they qualify or may contact the Mayor’s office for assistance.

jason mccoy

mayor jason mccoy