The mechanics of the Berlin Budget Referendum needs to be changed via a charter revision. Why? It is a gimmick: it has no real teeth.
Unlike other Connecticut town budgets requiring a budget referendum, if we, the voters, reject the budget, our Town Council can still vote to pass it with little or no modification. Recall our last budget referendum, how the proposed $76.8 million budget was rejected on April 30, 2013, and a $76.5 million budget was approved on May 7th. Do you call that a working budget referendum or a token budget referendum?
I recommend a real budget referendum, requiring all town budgets to be approved by the citizens of Berlin. Our charter simply reads we, as citizens, can vote to reject the first budget approved by the Town Council, but subsequent to our rejection, the Town Council can simply override our rejection and pass a budget without our final approval.
In other words, our town budget referendum is a political gimmick, giving us the illusion of a voice when we have no real say in the budget process. It is apparent that our Town officials do not want any real involvement on our part in the budgetary process. It is mere Kabuki theatre. This farce is an insult to the intelligence of the voters of Berlin.
Let us change the town charter and adopt a budget referendum with real teeth for the citizens of Berlin. Let the citizens of Berlin have a real voice in our town government. Let us require any budget proposed by our Town Council to be approved by the voters without any subsequent modification by our Town Council prior to its formal adoption by the Town of Berlin.
Below is how the process of the Annual Town Budget Referendum currently reads in our town charter.
Section 7-5. Annual Town Budget Referendum. (A) The town budget recommended by the Council, under Section 7-4 of this charter, shall be brought before the persons qualified to vote at the Annual Town Budget Referendum. Said budget shall become effective only after it has been submitted to the persons qualified to vote on the voting machines at the normal and usual polling places. (b) The Annual Town Budget Referendum shall be held on the last Tuesday of April. The polls shall open at 6:00 am to 8:00 PM. A sufficient number of copies of said town budget recommended by the town council shall be made available for distribution in the office of the Town Clerk at least five (5) business days prior to the Annual Budget Hearing. The Town Council shall give timely and suitable notice of the availability of said copies. Nothing in this Section precludes the Town Council from utilizing other channels to make the proposed Town Budget available to the public, such as Internet sites or newspapers, provided that timely and suitable notice is given as to said availability. (c) At the closing of the polls, the Town Clerk shall cause the vote to be counted, and any such budget shall, if approved by a majority of those persons voting thereon, be deemed to be a vote of the referendum. (d) In the event that the proposed Town Budget is rejected by a majority vote of those persons voting thereon, the proposed Town Budget shall be deemed as rejected. The proposed Town Budget shall then be returned to the Town Council, which shall further consider, act on, and adopt an Annual Town Budget for the ensuing fiscal year, provided that such budget is adopted no later than May tenth (10th).
