Spending is high, funding is low and the future of the pandemic is uncertain.
Despite these challenges, Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker is charting his town’s path through 2021. He shared his expectations for the year on the Municipal Voice, a co-production between the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and WNHH.
“One of the things I’m really going to stress is that the [recent] Covid relief act does not include funding for state governments or local governments,” Knickerbocker said. “And we’re looking at starting a vaccine clinic in the next four weeks that’s going to run anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 per day, and right now that’s coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket.”
The pandemic has swelled Bethel spending, from the clinic to over $1 million spent on readying schools to reopen.
“In terms of the additional costs, this budget season is going to be very, very Spartan,” Knickerbocker said. “We’re going to have to put as much contingency as possible into these unknowns until we have a better handle on what those costs are and if there’s going to be any reimbursement.”
These problems can in part be solved by action by the state government. When asked about the current legislative session, Knickerbocker noted that there were legacy issues that, if resolved, would go a long way towards helping towns and cities handle other crises as they happen.
“We still have issues with the state not providing the correct amount of funding for things like special education, and school construction has been limited in recent years.”
He also argued that the federal government needs to go further to help restaurants, small, family and single owner retailers, and gig employees.
“We’ve watched several restaurants close their doors for good,” he said. “We’ve lost a couple of nice retail shops, and it’s not going to get any easier for those people. They’re doing the best that they can.”
Another solution Knickerbocker discussed was having the federal government recognize Councils of Governments as a county equivalent so that grant monies can be funneled to towns and cities.
“It would not only empower the COGs to do more regional things that could save taxpayer’s money, but it would really kind of break open the potential for what the COGs could do in the future,” Knickerbocker said.
Knickerbocker wants to resume town projects that were put on hold, like modernizing the town’s website and the town’s permitting system.
The pandemic may continue for another eight months or more. Yet towns and cities have to prepare their budgets now.
“I’m very hopeful that we will see some relief coming to state and local governments that can then be translated directly into those places that need the relief the most,” Knickerbocker said.
