Easton Democratic Platform
Elect Democrats to Easton town boards to achieve the following important goals for our community:
Taxes: Aggressively limit tax increases (goal: less than 5%
per year) through cost savings, better planning, more prudent financing, and
revenue sources consistent with our town’s rural character (e.g., rental
of old Staples)
Education: Improve our school system and achieve parity with
our peers through one concrete step forward each year
Enviroment: Protect
Easton’s open space and farms; actively pursue Clean Energy initiatives
and “green” building practices
Community: Improve
town-wide social and recreational opportunities (e.g. biking/hiking trails
at the reservoirs) and enhance services for seniors
Leadership: Create
an open town government that is fair, bipartisan, inclusive, and effective
FISCAL POLICY
The Easton Democratic
Party has identified three primary areas as the focal points for our fiscal
policy. They include:
Funding for high-quality public schools and town services
Quality-of-life/community-building improvements for all Easton residents
Strategies for limiting tax increases and creating a more efficient and cost-effective
town government.
Education/Town
Services: We will be working with the Boards of Education
and public to provide the necessary tools and support for Easton students
to exceed state-targeted proficiency levels. We will adequately fund and enhance
town departments and services, including the Library, Senior Center, Police
and Fire Departments, EMS, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works.
Quality-of-Life: Preserving
Easton’s unique small-town charm and rural character is of utmost concern
to the Easton Democrats. We strongly believe that we must meet the needs of
ALL town residents (families with children, seniors, empty nesters, singles,
etc…). To that end, we will explore ways to enhance the quality of life
and social connectedness of our whole community, such as:
Creation of walking, hiking, and biking trails in suitable areas in
Easton, e.g. near the reservoirs and on the Morehouse Road property.
Increased use of town recreational resources (parks, tennis
courts) by improving the facilities, services, and programs, including working
with Aquarion to allow water recreation at the reservoirs, e.g. paddle-boating,
canoeing.
Strategies for Limiting Tax Increases:
There are two ways to limit property taxes: 1) reducing town costs, or 2)
finding additional sources of revenue. The Easton Democrats have a fiscal
plan that will attack high taxes using both.
On the cost-side: We are committed to a goal of tax increases that
are less than 5% per year. We can achieve this goal through better
long-term municipal planning, more effective problem-solving,
cost-savings and creative efficiencies in the schools
and town departments, and more prudent financing. As in the
past, we will continue to lead improvements to the senior tax relief
program to ensure that seniors on fixed incomes are not driven from
town by rising taxes.
On the revenue side: We will examine alternative revenue-generating
opportunities that would offer relief to the Easton taxpayer without jeopardizing
the town’s unique rural character, such as:
The carbon credit program discussed under our Conservation Policy.
Rental uses of the old Staples building.
Other uses permitted by current zoning statutes, such as private schools,
riding stables or other athletic facilities, art galleries, and country clubs.
EDUCATION POLICY
Education
is the foundation for Easton’s future. The Easton Democratic Party’s
goal for our schools is to restore what was lost in previous Republican-led
budget cuts, maintain what we have now, and make improvements to the school
system each year. We believe it is the town’s obligation to give the
children of Easton the tools necessary for an excellent education through:
Taking
one cost-effective step forward each year. We will strive to make
one important improvement to our school system each year, to achieve parity
with our peers and prepare Easton students to compete with their Redding counterparts
at Joel Barlow High School.
Maintaining moderate class size and retaining quality teachers.
Supporting educational proposals that will show results in real time,
use budget dollars in a responsible manner, and lead directly to success
in the classroom.
Improving test scores with adequate remediation and enrichment.
We will pursue innovative educational solutions to address weaknesses in the
schools, such as the addition of both a Math Specialist and a Writing Specialist
to the K-8 system.
Responsible building maintenance. We support pro-active and
cost-efficient planning for the long-range care of our school facilities.
LAND USE
The Easton Democratic Party strongly believes we must preserve Easton’s
unique rural character and we have a plan to do so. While 40% of Easton’s
open space is protected, there are still 2,500 acres of undeveloped private
land in town, 1,000 of which represent farms or other large tracts that are
vulnerable to unwanted development.
Easton Democrats support a pro-active approach to town and land use
planning. Better planning will prevent costly legal battles with
developers, which do nothing to ensure the ultimate protection of the land.
We will:
Pursue local, state, and private funding sources for land acquisition,
open space conservation, and farmland preservation.
Fund through appropriate means a meaningful Land Acquisition Fund.
Work with P&Z and Conservation commissions to strengthen existing
regulations to help preserve open space and farms.
Encourage uses consistent with Easton’s agricultural heritage.
Work with local landowners to promote more private conservation easements.
Open to public debate and decision any opportunity to buy a large
tract of land within town borders, rather than having the First Selectman
unilaterally decide whether or not a parcel is desirable.
Furthermore, we support working with the Conservation Commission and Parks
& Recreation to build additional trails for walking, hiking, and horseback
riding on existing open space, to increase the public’s enjoyment of
our town’s unique rural setting.
CONSERVATION
The
Easton Democratic Party has an unwavering commitment to environmental conservation
and to a progressive energy policy for the town. We will actively pursue an
environmental agenda with the goal of making Easton the “greenest”
town in Fairfield County by:
Expanding recycling programs to reduce the impact of solid
waste.
Investigating the sale of carbon credits to promote forest
conservation and provide a new revenue stream for the town.
Partnering with neighboring towns to combine conservation
ideas and efforts to create a “greener” Fairfield County.
Hosting informative programs for residents on a broad spectrum
of issues ranging from conservation easements to composting to encourage individual
involvement in conservation issues, and setting a leadership example
through our personal involvement in environmental conservation activities.
Promoting clean energy by pursuing such initiatives as:
Acquisition of clean energy
for public buildings and hybrid vehicles for town use.
20% personal property tax
credit for hybrid vehicles.
A non-binding resolution
to encourage “green” building practices for all new developments.
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© 2002 - 2005 Easton Democrats. Paid
for by the Easton Democratic Town Committee,
Marvin Gelfand, Treasurer
