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Letter: Regional Government Means More Taxes

WESTON, Conn. – The following letter was written by Weston Selectman Dan Gilbert.

Can you imagine life under a regional government with taxing authority?  The state can. Here’s a quote from our State’s Plan of Conservation and Development: “While many other cities across the country have the ability to annex their wealthier unincorporated suburbs, Connecticut cities are confined by their relatively small and highly developed political boundaries. Without the benefit of a broader representation by metropolitan area (regional government) ... this geographic stratification by income leaves few opportunities for cities to increase their tax bases in the short term.” We must stop any move to regional government making it easier to tax us and send our tax dollars to the cities. 

Our regional planning agency has no mechanism for deciding how to collect or distribute taxes. That will change if our First Selectman has her way. She supports changing the agency to a Council of Governments (COG). In a COG, authority is concentrated in our region’s eight First Selectmen and Mayors. They would be the mechanism for deciding how to collect and distribute tax dollars.

I oppose the change as does our Planning & Zoning Commission.  A majority vote of the eight First Selectmen and Mayors favoring a COG is a major step in creating a COG.  Our First Selectman is the swing vote. Imagine the State giving COGs authority to tax us. Guess where your tax dollars will go.

We’ve been able to postpone a vote by the First Selectmen and Mayors until after November’s elections. I need your vote. 

Send your letters to Erin Lynch at elynch@thedailyweston.com.

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