Cities across the nation are wrestling with high fuel costs and the impact they have on school bus routes, trash pick up and lawn mowing. The LA Times reports:

Squeezed by soaring energy prices, governments around the nation are reacting just like consumers — changing basic routines, and scrimping and saving in order to get by.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Department in southeastern Colorado has ended car patrols of its 2,000-square-mile jurisdiction. One Ohio sheriff is putting his deputies into golf carts. Stillwater, Okla., has stopped mowing the grass on nearly half of its parkland. Cleveland is remapping its trash pickup routes to cut costs.

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First off bad news out of Hartford, this fall Delta/Northwest is suspending its direct non stop service to Amsterdam and Los Angeles from Bradley airport. They cited rising fuel costs. Strangely, the economy is affecting hard core gamblers, the Foxwoods casino reports a 2% reduction in workforce. These unrelated news items provide context for the next, survey says, moment on Family Feud.  Our two families, representing Norwalk; State Senator Bob Duff; Jack Condlin,  president of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce; Ed Musante Jr., president of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce; Tad Diesel, the city’s director of marketing and business development; and Chet Valiante, publisher of The Hour Newspapers. Representing Wilton and Ridgefield, State Rep Toni Boucher.

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In the aftermath of the garbage contract–er what do I even call it– thingee, it was apparent that another mythical group, like Kharybdis, has seized the whirlpool of discontent and announced its existence to the world. The Norwalk Neighbors For Open Government is open for business, yet how one joins this “open” government group is at best a mystery.

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If the proposed trash contract is withdrawn and a new proposal accepted, the City of Norwalk will face a $500k shortfall in the operating budget most recently approved. Which means that the Common Council will have to find $500k worth of operating expenses to cut, since raising fees or taxes isn’t a likely option. The $500k is the amount representing the likely increased cost of tipping fees under a new plan. The current plan, which includes using the Meadow Street faclity has tipping fees locke din at a November 2007 price. Any new proposal would be set at the current prevailing rate.

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The Common Council approved the WPCA budget but issues remain about how the billing is executed. The Hour reports:

The Common Council narrowly approved a $12.8-million operating budget to keep the city’s wastewater treatment plant running after July 1.

At issue was not the bottom line of the Water Pollution Control Authority’s 2008-09 operating budget, but the fairness of annual flat fees charged residential and commercial sewer users.

Some council members believe consumption-based billing would be fairer to water users, and that a forthcoming study will bear that out.

Mayor Richard A. Moccia isn’t so sure.

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The Courant today delves into what is hampering even more envirnmental success at cleaning our air and water. It’s soylent green! Yep, people are the ones dragging the whole progress thing down. What a surprise. They report, you discuss, especially in light of recent claims made about trash contracts and recycling:

Although anti-pollution laws have gone a long way toward cleaning up the state’s air and water, a new report says that solving some of the more intractable environmental problems won’t happen unless residents change how they live.

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2012. That’s four years away already. That was then the CT DOT was planning to start construction? Hey by then gas will be at $10/gallon so maybe the the parkway will be used by motor scooters exclusively.

Redesigning the congested Route 7/Merritt Parkway interchange will take longer than projected because the state needs a new blueprint for the project.

Starting construction in 2012 is no longer realistic because the state Department of Transportation must find an alternative to the cloverleaf design that has sparked strong opposition from interchange neighbors, said Tom Harley, the DOT’s manager of consultant design.

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Education is not that much different than industry. There are widget makers, that would be the people who instruct, and management, that would be the people who don’t. If your product is widgets, and you need to produce more to stay competitive then you don’t cut the widget makers. So Kimmel has it right when he says:

Board member Bruce Kimmel said he would favor combining central office positions and not the assistant principals, because they are in the schools.

“My view is the schools are touched last,” Kimmel said.

. . .

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Now that the BOE has cut the revenue generating news stand, they are eyeing other cuts to the budget. The Advocate reports:

Parents, teachers and administrators from West Rocks Middle School crowded into last night’s school board meeting to decry staff reductions included in cuts to the district’s proposed budget.

The school board is trimming $1.4 million from its budget request to meet the $148.2 million the Board of Estimate and Taxation approved last month for 2008-2009. The school board was expected to vote on the budget reconciliation after deadline.

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Whilst the Common Council was busy hearing about the afflicted quality of life living next to industrial neighborhoods, I was traveling north to Boston. In the old days, along the Eisenhower Interstate, big signs would welcome you to the next state, often the only discernible way to figure you crossed state lines. Yesterday I didn’t need the sign, the road noise, rattle and jolts of driving through Connecticut immediately stopped, and smooth pothole and rut free lanes of highway beckoned. Connecticut is such a backwater of transportation infrastructure. The high tech companies that line I-495 all have easy access to the commuter rail that carries people from and to Boston. All that talk about “taxachusetts”, and it turns out the we in Connecticut pay more and get less.

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