Town/Govt

Potential cuts in services and increase in taxes, town manager warns

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By Shirley MurthaAs the town prepared for the annual Three Board Meeting (Education, Finance and Selectmen) on Jan. 23, Town Manager Bill Smith noted that with the state budget in deficit, aid to towns will be greatly curtailed. For example, mid-2016 saw $50,000 worth of cuts to the Educational Cost Sharing program. Similar cuts will be seen across the board; towns will have to make up the differences by increasing local taxes and/or by cutting services.In preparing for the development of the Pl […]

Town/Govt

State uncertainty clouds FY18 budget picture

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Michael B Guarco Jr., Chairman, Board of FinanceOnce again Connecticut faces a $1.5 billion deficit in each of the next two fiscal years. How it is handled with respect to state aid monies allocated to the municipalities will have a significant impact on local operations and taxation. The reluctance on the part of the state to tackle real structural budget reform continues to just kick the can down the road. Every two years, the state legislature’s majority party leadership and the governo […]

Town/Govt

BOS student liaison a girl for all seasons

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By Shirley MurthaThis year’s student representative to the Granby Board of Selectmen is Kelly-Anne Moffa, a senior at Granby Memorial High School. Having attended the school for three-plus, she felt she could do a good job bringing the student perspective to the board while becoming more connected with the Granby community in general. She intends to become involved with government in the future, planning to study both environmental science and political science in college. Being the liaiso […]

Town/Govt

BOE begins budget process

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By Kim BeckerThe new year rings in the beginning of the budget process for the board of education. Superintendent of Granby Public Schools Alan Addley presented the BOE with the Plus One, a five-year budget projection.Given the sharp decline in state funding, including cuts to Education Cost Sharing and the Academic and Social Support grant, Granby will lose $180,000. This funding directly supported programs like all-day kindergarten, summer school, and integrated preschool. Though the board has […]

Town/Govt

BOE studies achievement gap issues

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By Kim BeckerThe Board of Education heard from new Director of Teaching and Talent Development Christopher Tranberg regarding new achievement gap data. The data was viewed by program: regular education students and special education students and by residence (Granby, Hartford, and Hartland). Because the 2014-15 report was given in the spring and the 2015-16 data was compiled early, little improvement was seen in the numbers. However, four areas bucked that trend are graduation rate, college cour […]

Town/Govt

Granby set some voting records in 2016

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So many records were broken during this tumultuous election season, here a few highlights:• Most new voter registrations processed in one year: 1,177 new voters• Most voter removals processed in one year: 689 removals• Most poll worker and moderator training sessions: 25 classes held, over 100 participants• Most voter registrations, new and changes, received in one day, on Nov. 1: 204(Includes the most online voter registrations received in one day, Nov. 1: 152)•Highest […]

Town/Govt

Interested in helping Granby?

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Granby Democrats are seeking people interesting in helping Granby by serving on an advisory board or commission.Vacancies on the Commission on Aging, the Agricultural Commission, the Conservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board will be filled by appointment, not election. Most of these bodies meet once a month, and provide advice and assistance to the operation of the town. The Democratic Town Committee will be interviewing interested candidates in early December for terms beginnin […]

Town/Govt

LAFD hints for a safe and happy holiday season

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Cooking and holiday decorating are big parts of the season, but they can also present fire hazards if you’re not careful.Here are some simple tips to keep you and your family safe:• Replace any indoor or outdoor light strings that are worn or broken• Use only UL listed lights approved for specific use (indoor or outdoor)• Choose a tree with fresh green needles that don’t fall off when touched• Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from fireplaces, radiato […]

Town/Govt

Funding approved for Route 20 pedestrian crosswalk beacon

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The State Bond Commission approved a Department of Transportation request to spend $300,000 to install a High-Intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) beacon at the Route 20 crosswalk of the greenway/rail trail. Though the crosswalk on the busy road is well marked, a flashing yellow light creates ambiguity about whether motorists need to stop. Rear-end collisions and pedestrian versus auto near-misses aren’t uncommon.State Rep. Tami Zawistowski (R-61) and State Sen. John A. Kissel (R-7) applau […]

Town/Govt

School Renovation Committee issues final report

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By Shirley MurthaGordon Bischoff, representing the School Renovation Committee that was charged with overseeing the infrastructure changes to the elementary schools following the closing of Kearns, gave the committee’s final report to the Board of Selectmen on Nov. 7. The bottom line of the two-page memo was that the work came in under the original $800,000 budget. Even the additional $40,000 contingency granted by the board when more asbestos was discovered, was not needed.Bischoff praise […]