OP-ED: How we can work together for Granby’s future

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My focus in prior op-eds has been Granby’s economic fate relevant to the potential of its assets and the risks inherent in fiscal miscalculations. To a certain extent I feel that the ball has moved down the field with more transparency in the conduct of the current budget workshops and residents being encouraged to attend them, speak at board meeting public sessions and submit comments and questions to the various study committees. However, whether it is apathy, inexperience, scheduling, confinement or complacency, there is no response until the tax bill is received in the mail. My family sees zero to six people at any one of these above venues. We have a municipality of about 11,200 citizens with about 7,000 taxpayers—so it is a poor showing. If you attended the 2.0 CT Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth presentation on Feb. 13 at the Senior Center, you heard Mr. Patricelli say that our state is in terminal status and it is because its citizens have ignored the signposts. If you disregard the opportunity to make your voice heard you are complicit in the outcome. The budget presentation and referendum is at our doorstep. Critiquing at that point is too late in the game if you haven’t been there for spring training. Enough said.

There is, however, more that can be done to streamline the oversight and governance processes in Granby.  I share this from a fellow resident business colleague: “The proper way to analyze a service operation is to: 1) identify the key activities in each department/functional area, 2) associate those activities with a ‘unit of service,’ 3) a tangible output that adds value to your customer/constituents, 4) allocate labor and non-labor expenses, across multiple departments, to common units, 5) determine productivity/capacity for delivering each unit, and 6) apply improvement techniques to improve cost, quality, time, satisfaction.”

It would take an hour or two at most with each department head, to develop a list of activities, units of service, assess/collect management information and begin to solicit improvement opportunities.

We all have homework to do if we want a GRANDby!

Editor’s Note: Regan is the host of CT Valley Views TV Program, president of Foxfield F.A.R.M. Foundation, Founder of the Sylvia Davis Fine Arts Scholarship and former VP Marketing and Community Trade Relations for DIAGEO N.A.