Vernon Connecticut: Thoughts on the Budget - Vernon, CT Patch

April 29, 2011: Thoughts on the Budget - Vernon, CT Patch: "April 29, 2011: Thoughts on the Budget
Town officials share their thoughts after the Annual Town Meeting."

Here are five quotes on the $79,293,749 budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year approved at the Annual Town Meeting this week. The adoption of the budget at the Vernon Annual Town Meeting marks the first time in 12 years that the budget was not sent to a referendum. The budget lowers the tax rate from 30.02 mills to 29.9 mills.

1. Deputy Mayor Brian Motola: “Vernon's residents and taxpayers will be very happy with the spending plan put together by the mayor, the Town Council and the Board of Education. Taxes will not increase while services will remain intact. We took into account what Joe and Jane Taxpayer are experiencing in this economic climate and what is best for Vernon."

2. Police Chief James Kenny: “The Vernon Police department is grateful that the citizens supported the upcoming budget and we will continue to provide the best possible services to the community with the funding provided.”

3. Fire Chief William Call: "The Fire Department is very pleased that the mayor’s administration has addressed its needs, including safety equipment, uniforms and fire apparatus. We are pleased that the people in attendance at the Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved the proposed budget presented to them."

4. Superintendent of Schools Mary Conway: "I am delighted with the passing of the 2011-2012 budget at the annual town meeting. “The budget is fair and reasonable and allows the school system to maintain current class sizes and services to children in the schools. I am especially appreciative of the support and hard work of the board of education, the administrative team, the town council, and the mayor who united as a team to prepare and promote this budget.”

5. Mayor Jason McCoy: “I am very pleased that the residents and taxpayers of Vernon approved this budget with overwhelming support. With this budget, the community will continue to receive all of the great services currently provided, both at a lower cost to the taxpayer and with increased efficiency. This budget will also provide Vernon residents with the security of knowing that the tax rate will decrease, at a time when great economic uncertainty exists throughout both the state and the country.”
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Town of Vernon - 2011 - 2012 Mayor McCoy's Proposed Budget

Town of Vernon, CT - Budget 2011-2012

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Budget Highlights 2011-2012 Town of Vernon

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Budget 2011-2012 Town Of Vernon

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Town rallies to help re-open schools Article | ReminderNews Vernon CT

Article ReminderNews: "Town rallies to help re-open schools"


Vernon students had an unexpected week of vacation from Feb . 1 to Feb . 7 , as winter storms piled so much snow on the roofs of school buildings that officials wanted to be sure of their safety before allowing students inside .

Before the Board of Education’s special meeting on Feb . 7 to officially approve its budget for 2011-2012 ,  all schools were expected to re-open on Feb . 8 . Despite another snowfall that morning , they all did .

Mayor Jason McCoy sent out emails at approximately the same time , stating that the schools were safe .

“ I am proud to announce that the school buildings no longer face imminent structural danger , as a result of dedicated workers and volunteers from throughout the community , ” McCoy said . “ After a briefing from my staff and the BOE’s structural engineer , I have decided to close down emergency operations and the Emergency Operations Center , as there is no longer an emergency situation or threat from imminent danger . The snow loads on the buildings have been inspected and certified by the engineer and they are within the code limits prescribed by Connecticut Code . ”

Conway said when the emergency had been declared over , the control of the remaining cleanup at the schools was turned back over to her office .
Town workers began clearing the roofs on Feb . 2 . By Feb . 4 , the task had seemed so large that town employees were asked to volunteer , and members of the National Guard were deployed to help , via town requests to the state .
On Feb . 4 , the town also sent automated phone calls asking Vernon residents to volunteer to help , and many did . McCoy said the volume of snow on the schools and town buildings was calculated , as were the man-hours required to remove it all , and it was clear that more people were needed .

An estimated 17 . 4 million pounds of snow were removed from roofs of municipal buildings , McCoy said , calling that estimate conservative .
“ People just showed up with snow shovels at the high school , ” Conway said . “ It was just phenomenal . ”

On Saturday , Feb . 5 , McCoy had convened an emergency meeting of the Town Council to appropriate additional funds for snow-removal efforts . The council approved an amount of $ 90 , 000 .
Of larger concern was Maple Street School , which had received significant water damage to four of its classrooms .

Conway said several options were considered for the remediation of the damage , including possibly having students utilize another school building temporarily , or perhaps the Board of Education building itself .
However , late in the afternoon on Feb . 8 , it was determined that Maple Street School could re-open along with the rest of the district , and students in the four damaged classrooms would learn their lessons in other parts of the building . A reading room , a computer lab , and a boys’ bathroom also were damaged . Conway said the floor in the computer lab was also heavily damaged . Dehumidifiers are being used in the classrooms , and painters were being called to correct the cosmetic damage to ceilings and walls .

“ The roof is cleared , and the building is safe , ” Conway said . “ We are 100 percent in our own schools , and we are delighted with that . We expect the cleanup to be less than three weeks . ”
At Skinner Road School , there was concern over snow on the large canopies at the entrance of the school . Students were entering and exiting from the rear doors of the building until the snow was removed .
McCoy said the impetus for the school closing was that engineers had determined that some roofs were carrying loads upwards of 50 pounds per square foot – well above the general standards of 21 pounds per square foot , although he added that several schools and town buildings are rated higher .

Tests of the weight load on the roof of Vernon Middle School were at or near limits in a few areas as of Feb . 7 , but Conway said cleanup was continuing in the areas of the roof where snow was still heavy , especially since the possibility of more snow could put those areas over the limit .

Conway thanked the district’s custodians , many of whom had worked extra shifts , as well as contractors , who were still continuing the efforts .
Once all the schools are totally cleared of snow , Conway said she hoped such an effort would not be necessary again this winter .
“ I can’t imagine we’re going to get another 80 inches between now and April 1 , ” she said . “ We’re not anticipating having to do this again . We will be talking about roof maintenance , as part of our preventive maintenance , as we go along . ”

As of Feb . 10 , Vernon schools had accumulated nine snow days . At a meeting on Feb . 9 , the Board of Education voted to revise the school year, eliminating the vacation week from Feb . 21-25 . This would allow for school to end on June 23 , with RHS graduation taking place on June 22 . If more than two more snow days occur , the plan is to begin to cut days from April vacation .
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Vernon Police, feds foil attempt to extort Vernon monk- Connecticut

Journal Inquirer Towns Vernon Cops, feds foil attempt to extort Vernon monk

An attempt to extort $30,000 from a Vietnamese Buddhist monk associated with a Vernon temple was foiled by a sting operation in which Trumbull police joined with the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and other police authorities, according to Trumbull’s deputy police chief.

“Another Vietnamese person got him to make compromising statements on a video and threatened to use them to destroy his temple,” said Deputy Chief Michael Harry.

Harry didn’t have the name of the Vernon temple. But the only Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Vernon is the Phap Hoa Buddhist Temple at 85 Prospect St.

Harry said the initial threats occurred Sept. 28 at a Trumbull home where the monk had gone to visit after bringing his mother to Bridgeport to visit a friend. The monk formerly had a temple in Bridgeport, and a woman involved in the incident — Thuy Nguyen, 33, of Bridgeport — was a former follower of his, according to the deputy chief.

Harry said the compromising statements were “suggestive comments” about a woman, explaining that Buddhist monks are supposed to remain pure verbally as well as physically.

Charged in the incident were Tuan Nguyen, 32, a man who lives in the Trumbull home where the initial threats were made, and Thuy Nguyen, the deputy chief said.

But he added that Tuan Nguyen confessed after his arrest and made a statement that “negates the girl’s involvement.” As a result, he said, police will ask prosecutors to revisit the charges against Thuy Nguyen.

Harry added that the two are unrelated, although they have the same last name.

The deputy chief said the Secret Service was generous enough to lend police the $30,000 used in the sting operation, which occurred Friday in the parking lot of the Westfield Trumbull shopping mall. He added that the federal agency also sent two agents to make sure the money was recovered.

The FBI also participated in the operation, contributing a Vietnamese-speaking agent, Harry said. He said that the Bridgeport Narcotics Task Force contributed surveillance equipment, although the case didn’t involve narcotics.

Thuy Nguyen accepted the money and was arrested, Harry said. He said authorities subsequently executed a search warrant at Tuan Nguyen’s home and obtained the confession.

He said Thuy Nguyen initially told police that she took the monk to the Trumbull home because she was moving into it and wanted him to bless the house. But he said the initial statements weren’t entirely truthful, and police now “tend to doubt that.”

Tuan Nguyen was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, unlawful restraint, and threatening and was released on $30,000 bond, the deputy chief said.

Thuy Nguyen was charged with first-degree larceny, unlawful restraint, and threatening and was released on $10,000 bond, the deputy chief said.

Both are due in Bridgeport Superior Court on Oct. 18.

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