Hundreds Blast Tax Increase

One woman wept. She said she can’t afford to pay more taxes. Another shouted and slammed the microphone on the table. And everyone cheered, even the people who had shown up to support the proposed budget.

That was the scene in City Hall’s aldermanic chamber on Wednesday night as taxpayers spoke out against a proposed property tax increase.

It was a public hearing of the Board of Aldermen’s Finance Committee, which set aside Wednesday evening to hear from the public about the mayor’s proposed $476 million budget for the next fiscal year.

And what a hearing it was.

Aldermen got an earful from a raucous, standing-room-only crowd of several hundred taxpayers. Voices were raised and fingers were pointed as taxpayers decried a property revaluation phase-in that will send them higher tax bills next year. Homeowners would see an average increase of 8.8 percent in their tax bills.

The meeting was preceded by a rally on the steps of City Hall, organized by parents and school officials to fight against cuts to the education budget. That rally was called in opposition to a movement by budget watchdog group New Haven Citizens’ Action Network (NHCAN), which is lobbying for a 10 percent budget cut from each department. But once inside, the education protectors cheered along with NHCAN members as neighbors urged aldermen to send back the mayor’s budget.

Wednesday’s meeting was the latest in a series of meetings the Finance Committee has been holding on the budget. Over the past several weeks, the Board of Aldermen’s Finance Committee has been hearing from city department heads. They’ve attempted to demonstrate why they deserve a piece of the mayor’s $476 million budget for the next fiscal year. See coverage of those meetings here, here, and here.

As in previous budget meetings, I provided live blow-by-blow coverage of the debate as it happened. See below.

New Haven business owner Brian Virtue was the first to earn the deafening applause of the capacity crown on Wednesday night. He said his taxes have increase 63 percent in the six years he’s owned his house, but he hasn’t seen a corresponding increase in city services.

“Please, you’re going to drive the middle class out of the city,” he told the committee.

Alison DeRenzi, another business owner, spoke shortly after Virtue, and kicked things up a notch. (Click play above to see her speak.) She took to her feet in front of the committee. ​“The budget is completely unacceptable and needs to be handed back to the mayor,” she said as applause grew behind her. ​“We are asking you as civil servants to give him the accountability for his spending … and to figure it out!”

While there were many complaints about increased tax bills, there were also many calls for city services to remain, and there were very few specific suggestions about where fat could be cut out of the budget. However, budget watchers Jeffrey Kerekes and Christine Bishop offered a list of brainstormed ideas and a bullet-pointed outline of budget weaknesses, respectively.

“People are really concerned,” said Board of Aldermen President Carl Goldfield after the meeting. ​“But people also want services. None of that comes for free.” There are ​“so many constraints and mandates” built into the budget that the amount of discretion available is really quite small, Goldfield said. Union contracts lock the city into certain funding mandates, for example.

Goldfield said he hadn’t heard any ideas of how to trim the budget. ​“It’s the general frustration,” he said. ​“There aren’t a lot of specific suggestions.”

The Finance Committee will meet again next Wednesday, to discuss the city’s plan to monetize parking revenue. The committee may begin deliberation on the budget at that time.

As in previous budget meetings, I provided live blow-by-blow coverage of the debate as it happened Wednesday night. See below.

Live-blogging commences below. (Note: only text inside quotation marks is directly quoted; the rest is paraphrasing and observations.)

6:30 p.m.: Previous budget hearings may have been sparsely attended, but this one is packed! Every seat is taken here in the aldermanic chamber, and most of the standing room is disappearing fast. There are at least a couple of hundred people here, many of them toting signs protesting any education budget cuts. They’ve just come in from the rally on the steps of City Hall, where the air was filled with chants of ​“Kids Come First!” and ​“Save Our Schools!” Superintendent Reggie Mayo gave a brief and rousing speech.

I spoke outside with Minerva Miranda, a parent of two students at the Conte West school. She said she’s worried that budget cuts for the schools would mean fewer teachers at her daughters’ school, where she said the classes are already too big.

Standing outside the aldermanic chamber a moment ago, NHCAN leader Jeffrey Kerekes said he understands the fear of Miranda and other parents and teachers. He said the problem is that there has not been a good public discussion of budget priorities, so when people hear about possible cuts to education, they are justifiably fearful. Kerekes stood by his previous statement that the rally was a product of ​“fearmongering” by school officials, who have the resources to send out mailers to parents.

6:40: People are getting restless here in the chamber. A chant just flared up: ​“Let’s go! Start the meeting!”

6:41: Chairman Yusuf Shah is pounding the ceremonial crystal. Here we go. He’s joined at the table by Aldermen Migdalia Castro, Greg Morehead, Jorge Perez, Andrea Jackson-Brooks, Maureen O’Sullivan-Best, Carl Goldfield, Justin Elicker, Roland Lemar, and Greg Dildine. Aldermen Dolores Colon and Darnell Goldson are seated above the table. Other aldermen are here in the crowd.

6:45: The room is completely filled now. People are standing in the aisles, including several cute kids with Save Education signs.

6:46: Brianna Bellinger-Dawson is first to speak. [Names to be spelled phonetically as best I can hear them]. She’s joined by Eric Martin. They’re both students at Co-op High. Brianna is speaking on behalf of the Shubert theater. She went to a five week summer program at the Shubert theater. She and Eric learned ​“the professional aspects of the theater world.” This is Brianna’s second year speaking for funding for the Shubert. ​“If I didn’t have theater, If I didn’t have dance, I honestly don’t know what I would do.” The room bursts into brief applause.

Eric says he performed before 700 people at the Shubert. ​“One of the best experiences of my life.” He says he would be lost without the arts. ​“We need this. That’s what it boils down to.” More applause.

6:53: A man (didn’t catch his name) is speaking on behalf of the Shubert. Very important for downtown business, he says.

6:55: Lori Hoffman-Soars, airport manager at Tweed, takes a seat with other Tweed staff. She says staff have improved the airport and facilities, thanks aldermen for continued support.

“We want to talk about our taxes!” someone shouts. Others cheer. Lots of angry murmuring. The crowd is restless.

Shah says everyone who signs up will get a chance to talk.

6:58: Two people mumble their names as they speak in support of the Commission on Equal Opportunities’ workforce initiative: helping to create stronger members of society.

“You’re mumbling!” someone shouts angrily. (People are testy!)

7:01: Tweed Board member Linda Balzano, from East Haven, sits down to speak for the airport. People mutter and yawn loudly and Shah stops the proceedings to admonish them.

7:03: Kyle Peterson and Rebecca Allen, from mental health services and Columbus House, sit down. They advocate for Town Green Special Services District (SSD).

7:08: Abigail Rider, of Branford, speaks on behalf of Town Green SSD. Rider works for Yale. The city has not increased its contribution to Town Green since it was founded, in 1998, she says. Tony Schaeffer, of Woodbridge, is chair of Town Green. Funding assists in the creation of clean and safe environment downtown, he says.

7:12: Gary Doyens of NHCAN is here and commenting below, along with others.

7:13: Donna Curren is here to express her ​“unconditional support” for Market New Haven and Town Green SSD. She says she is a New Haven business owner. She praises restaurant week for bringing people into New Haven. Robert Orr also speaks up for Town Green.

7:19: Diana Sousa, VP of communications at Covidien, which is moving to Long Wharf Drive. Covidien is the second largest employer in New Haven, she says. The company has done a lot for the community, including donating more than 3,000 diapers. We really need infrastructure, such as an expansion of Tweed, she says. Her company staff fly out of Bradley airport in Hartford, because Tweed can’t offer the flights they need.

7:22: Next: Pilot Pen advocates, three of them. Pilot Pen is more than just the tournament, they say. It’s tennis programs, court improvements, and free lessons for kids.

7:24: Brian Virtue of NHCAN heads down. He’s the first to call for cuts, rather than to advocate for a particular program. ​“I can’t afford a tax increase.” Deafening applause and cheers. The crowd is behind him! ​“Thank .. Thank you,” Virtue says uncertainly, after the overwhelming response to his simple statement.

Dolores Colon tries to interject somehow. Not sure what that was about. [Late update: I’m told she was trying to see the list of speakers, to check if a constituent was on it. Shah refused to show it to her.]

Virtue says his taxes have increased 63 percent in the six years he’s owned his house. ​“I can’t figure why. The services in New Haven have not increased 63 percent.” More applause; Virtue is killing. He warns that the budget will drive people out of the city. ​“I understand it’s tough times.” Virtue says he runs a business in New Haven and he hasn’t raised his prices, because ​“my customers don’t have the money.” More applause. Instead of raising prices, he cuts expenses where he can. ​“We have every right to expect that from our government…. Please, you’re going to drive the middle class out of the city…. Please send this budget back…. You’ve got to work with us or you’re going to lose us.” The room fills with applause and whooping.

7:31: Duncan Goodall, owner of Koffee?, is next. He says he’s a resident, homeowner, parent, and small business owner. Education is obviously very important, he says. On the other hand, ​“the taxes are killing me.” More applause. [I’ll stop narrating the applause; you can assume it’s happening after every statement about high taxes or a bloated budget.] ​“Small businesses are holding on by their fingernails.”

7:34: Eric Brown takes the mic. ​“You need to turn that budget back where it came from.” You’re going to put homeowners in homeless shelters. There’s tons of overtime for police and fire. Brown says he runs a business. ​“Be responsible with my money!” He hasn’t seen an increase in services. Roads are ​“torn up” until you get to the Hamden line. ​“We love this city that’s why we’re here. Do not drive us out of the city.” Huge applause for Brown.

With these three last speakers we’re hitting the meat of this hearing. This is what the crowd is packed in here to hear, not the previous speakers on Tweed and Pilot Pen.

7:38: Allison DiRenzi, business owner, takes it to another level. She asks people to raise their hand if they’ve had to take a pay cut or tighten their family budget. Most of the room raises their hands. DiRenzi is shouting into the mic, calling on aldermen to send the budget back to the mayor. [The video is at the top of this story]

7:42: Diane Casella is in tears. She says her husband and she need to work more and her children still can’t do the dance and tee-ball programs they love, because of increased property taxes. She is a teacher in New Haven and decries what she calls the mayor pitting budget-cutters against school supporters. [Casella also broke down at this meeting.] ​“I love New Haven and I want to stay here. Please reconsider passing this budget.”

7:45: Jeff Kerekes sits down. We’re in the heart of the NHCAN batting order now. He says he wants to talk about all New Haveners being in this together. NHCAN’s citywide brainstorm generated over 315 ideas, he say. He hands the list to aldermen. He urges aldermen to look at it, consider the proposals, and send the budget back to the mayor.

7:47: David Streever takes the mic.

There’s some grumbling about people being skipped over on the sign-up sheet. Shah and O’Sullivan-Best are sorting it out. O’Sullivan-Best is acting as the maitre d’ here, calling people to sit as their names come up on the list.

Streever says he’s against parking meter monetization. The administration is about to make the worst decision it’s ever made. He compares the monetization scheme to the economic collapse in Greece. ​“The city needs a loan, that’s what it comes down to,” Streever says. Monetization is not the way to do it. The deal is too complex and too dangerous. Get a loan from a bank.

7:50: Tim Holahan, member of last year’s blue ribbon budget panel, is next. City debt has ballooned from $125 million in 1992 to $500 million today, he says. The result: taxes will go up, education will be cut. There needs to be better public information about where the money is going. Holahan says he has repeatedly asked Will Clark for information about how the Board of Ed spends its money, to no avail.

7:53: Rebecca Turcio (pictured), lifetime New Haven resident, says she will have to leave town if there is a tax increase. Turcio is shouting into the mic and pointing her finger. “You need to fight the city, you need to tell them take a good look at this budget!” Crime is only going to get worse!

7:54: Andy Orefice speaks. I’m hurting at business, I’m hurting at home. It’s unconscionable that any alderman would pass this budget. Refers to Register article about high rents in New Haven. Meanwhile median income in the city is $39,000, he says. Orefice warns of reprisals in November for aldermen who vote for the budget.

7:56: Lisa Siedlarz, homeowner since 1998, has seen a tax increase of $5,000 to $8,000, a 63 percent increase
(like Brian Virtue). “We can’t afford another tax increase.” She presents a petition signed by over 1000 residents. It’s from every ward, she says. It asks the city to tighten its budget and asks aldermen to send the budget back to the mayor.

7:58: Anna Festa, lifelong New Havener and daughter of immigrants, says her parents “worked their tails off” for the American Dream. She asks her mom to stand up. Applause.  The elderly are suffering, she says. “Please reconsider this budget.” People are paying extraordinary taxes and not receiving services they deserve. “I love this city. I’m passionate for this city.” “Look at this room… we don’t want to leave… Who wants to leave?” No one raises their hand. Festa says the education budget is not being cut, responding to someone shouting. A very brief shouting match ensues when Festa says education will not be cut. Festa asks aldermen not to cut police or fire budgets. “Protect our services as they are without increasing our taxes.”

8:02: Harry David is up. “I submit to you that this budget is unsustainable. It is not a real budget. ... The numbers don’t add up.” David says he’s analyzed the monetization deal. It comes down to an 8.5 percent loan, he says. “It’s not a good deal.”

David speaks against the flyers put out about possible cuts to education budget. “They take our proposal for a 10 percent cut and make it sound like we are against education. We are not.”

8:05: Mona Berman speaks. She’s a taxpayer, small business person and “overtaxed” resident “subject to the abuse of power that is rampant in this city.” “You cheat everybody all the time.” She talks about a recent arbitrary increases in certain taxes [referring to this Advocate article] that no one had the resources to fight.

8:08: Ronald Huggins, youth leader, is up. He says he’s not here because someone told him to be. He’s the president of the student council at Hillhouse. Education is essential, he says.  Otherwise, “the history of New Haven’s youth will be of a continuing pattern of violence.” Police need money too. “Please vote in favor of the mayor’s budget.” Applause. (Apparently not everyone here is opposed to the budget.)

8:10: John Daniels, former mayor of New Haven, takes a seat and takes the mic. “I come tonight to give an honest assessment of the budget,” he says. “This budget should be returned back to the mayor.” We have had tax increases and more spending for the last 16 years, “and the mayor has used the violence in the black community as a means to raise taxes.” Daniels offers three examples:

1. Several years ago, the mayor said crime increases called for 35 new officers to fight crime and decrease overtime. They were hired and crime has increased and overtime has doubled, he claimed
2. The following year, the mayor said schools will stay open, to fight crime. Aldermen approved. The community schools program never happened. “Where did all that money go?”
3. The following year, youth violence went “off the chart.” The mayor announced the answer: the million dollar youth initiative. This board passed it. “How many youth in the city were served? ... There was no youth initiative.”

Daniels: Money to fight crime has not been used to fight crime. Not only must this budget go back to the mayor, the government owes taxpayers an explanation. “You owe that to the taxpayers.”

“I don’t know what city the mayor is living in. The people in New Haven cannot afford a tax increase,” Daniels says, pounding the table with every word.

8:10: Former Alderman Allan Brison “zeroes in” on the education budget. There’s a lot of fat in there, he says. There are gross inefficiencies and even corruption and patronage, he says. A study showed that there should be eight teachers for every administrator. New Haven at the time of the study had a ratio of 3 to 1.

It’s wrong that the Board of Aldermen has “virtually no say” over the BOE budget. [They don’t have line item veto power, and they rarely spend much time scrutinizing the budget before approving it.] Brison suggests aldermen vote down the Board of Education budget as a means of “leveraging control.”

8:21: Daniel Haim, Hartford resident and BOE employee on school construction planning, says his position is no longer in the main budget; instead it’s in a special budget. He’s saying there is a “grant” listed in the budget that allows bond funds to pay for salaries, including his own! He asks aldermen to investigate. He says it’s not right to pay for salaries with bond funds.

8:26: A union member from UNITE HERE is speaking. People around the room are holding signs that say “Good Jobs, Strong Communities.” He says the city must:

1. keep good jobs
2. make bad jobs good (make them union jobs)
3. make good jobs accessible (to people of color, for instance).

“In the meantime, don’t balance the budget on the backs of the workers.”

8:27: Kathleen Muloney, Yale worker and member of Local 34, says good jobs would mean a better city, less crime, and less reliance on social services, and increased homeownership. A lack of good jobs, or the need to work two jobs, means less time to volunteer, mentor, and parent.

8:31: A teacher at Yale says he wants to talk about corporate responsibility. City and state dollars are lost to corporate loopholes, like the one that let’s AT&T report its earnings in other states, he says. CEOs earn huge salaries.  [There’s some grumbling around the room. The speaker hasn’t explained what his speech has to do with the city budget.] Here it is: low level employees should not be the first on the chopping block when it comes to tightening the budget.

8:34: Shirley Lawrence, resident of New Haven since 1973, and Pastor Abraham Hernandez. Lawrence says she is a community organizer. Pastor says Yale-New Haven hospital promised to hire locals, but hasn’t.

[Hernandez and Lawrence and some earlier speakers are from a union rally that was held before the meeting at the Center Church on The Green.]

The crowd is thinning out here. Still lots of people standing, but no longer cheek-by-jowl. The momentum seems to have died down. Less applause and not as raucous when it happens.

8:40: Jerome Drake, of Winchester Avenue for 40 years, says it’s a common political practice for the administration to try to divide the city when money is needed. He’s referring to the education budget protest. He says he can’t figure out what the budget means for him specifically, and he’s tried to get answers. “There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors here.”

8:42: A woman [I didn’t catch her name] has sat down and started shouting. She angry about Yale “picking what it wants, and getting what it wants,” while “small people pick up the pieces.”  Taxes go up, “and Yale continues to have a free ride.” “We want to know what you’re going to do!” Pounding the table. [“Nothing. Nothing. Nothing,” the elderly man behind me says quietly.]

8:45: NHCAN’s Gary Doyens sits down. Reading from a prepared statement, he says his tax bill has doubled since 2000 and will go up 12 percent this year, to more than $600 per month. The increase “is unconscionable, immoral, and unnecessary.” It lowers the value of his home, reduces its sale-ability, and hurts the economy by taking money from families. “There’s a reason why two thirds of city employees don’t live here and why 82 percent of police officers don’t live here.”

Doyens also says the education budget brouhaha is a “smokescreen.” “There are ways to make strategic cuts without hurting public safety or education.” Department heads need to be told to cut. “They’ll find those things.” Department heads need leadership.

Doyens: If, as the mayor says, these are not ordinary times, why is this an ordinary budget? He says he had to cut back on his daughters’ piano lessons to biweekly, to save $50 per month. A tax increase will be devastating. Fire, police and education account for 80 percent of the budget. That’s where the money is and where the cuts need to be made. “There can be no sacred cows in this economic time.” Other cities and towns are making do with less police. We have almost four cops per 1000 people; the national average is less than three per 1000. 14 percent of the budget is going to debt service. [Doyens is laying out a lot of numbers here and Shah seems to be giving him all the time he needs.] Foreclosures are out of control. We don’t have a money problem; we have a vision problem. “The time to cut this budget is now. ... If not now when? Please don’t hurt us.” He asks department heads to achieve 10 percent cuts.

8:54: Roberta Thornton, a senior citizen who works in real estate, brings up seniors and “young people just starting out.” They mostly live in condos and can’t afford a tax increase.

8:56: Shanice Johnson, from Hillhouse High, speaks on behalf of the education budget. She says she loves all the teachers she’s had in public school. “We don’t have enough money for books; we don’t have enough for programs.” Hillhouse can’t afford a field trip to D.C.  “You want a vital thriving city, you need vital thriving individuals.” You’ll find them in the schools. Don’t take that away.

8:59: James Duwett points to his corduroys embroidered with skulls and crossbones. “This is what I think of the budget… You’re attacking the people of New Haven.” He says he’s on Social Security, a fixed income, and can’t afford more taxes. “I can’t afford to live here anymore.”

9:00: Wendy Hamilton asks to face the audience. Gets a nope from Shah. She faces forward, but she’s really addressing the room full of people behind her. She says she’s been in the city for 25 years. “People, pay attention to how your alderman votes!” “I think you’re going to try to pull a fast one on us.” “No more taxes.” “Why is it that the poor black cities in the richest state get the burden” of high taxes “while the rich white suburbs get lower taxes?”

Hamilton is taking the energy up a notch.

Hamilton: There are two places you should look for money: “Not us.” [She gets a laugh from the crowd for that one.] Now: “the elephant in the living room:” Yale, which “owns New Haven.”  “We’re still their slaves and anyone who doesn’t agree with that is Uncle Tomming you!”  [Hamilton is heated; the crowd likes it.]

She ends with a triumphant: “Put that in your pipe and smoke it!” and slams the mic down. “Keep fighting!” she shouts as she walks away.

9:06: Ruth Swanton, a widow, says she couldn’t own a home without a high skill level. Investment in education is needed. Hands over a petition signed by parents at Microsociety school. “We cannot afford to cut education, period.”

9:09: Crowd has thinned out even further. Lots of empty seats now.

Richard Bell speaks: New Haven used to be known for the export of manufactured goods. Soon it will be known for exporting young people, because there are no jobs. He says he’s a grandparent. “I don’t want to be a voice on the telephone.”  “We can no longer rely on property tax as the sole source of revenue.” The state needs to kick in more. “We are the employer of the region. ... If you work here, you should pay taxes here.”

Someone shouts: “We’ve been waiting for three hours to speak!”

Shah lets the person jump the line. Complaints ensue. There are apparently several sign up sheets circulating and people feel they are being overlooked.

9:12: It was “Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter” that complained: three women. One is a Humane Commission member appointed by the mayor. [I didn’t catch their names.] She urges aldermen to reconsider the elimination of an animal control officer position. It was the result of a personnel incident, involving a transfer to public works. [Huh? The whole story here is unclear.]  The three speak at length about all that the animal shelter does and ask aldermen to reconsider the elimination of the animal control position.

9:22: Christine Bishop reads from a prepared statement. She reiterates Doyens’ statement: these are not normal times, and a not-normal budget is needed. She has looked at the budget closely and has some bullet points:

1. Innovation Based Budgeting: this should be incorporated into regular departmental procedures without hiring a new staff person.
2. Unfunded positions in the budget: these don’t look like new positions now, but they are; they will incur salaries, benefits, and pensions
3. School construction: $15 million for new projects that are “still on the drawing board.” There’s no cost for stopping them now; it will save money this year and for years to come.
4. Contract reserve: money reserved for contract negotiations. Calculation: unions are predicted to provide concessions of just 0.6 percent.
5. Taxes: “We all know there’s no silver bullet.” If we reduce the mill rate by one mill, then we’re only looking for $5 million in savings.
6. Parking monetization. “I’m not a financial wizard.” But look at the money we’re receiving; it’s only a $5 million benefit because we trade $4 or $5 million in revenue for $10 million. And that’s for the first five years. After year six, we don’t get any revenue from the deal.
7. If we raise taxes 8 percent this year, what happens next year, when things will be even worse?

9:30: O’Sullivan-Best calls a number of names to let people speak, but they seem to have left.  Katherine Escobar takes the mic. Her son is beside her. She says she’s a property owner in New Haven. “I feel like we’re just not getting ahead.” Don’t increase taxes. “We have to tell our children you can’t go to summer camp.” She lives in West Haven, but pays taxes in New Haven because she has tenants in New Haven.

9:34: Robin Rausch, has lived in New Haven for years. She no longer shops downtown. She closed her “little law practice” because of the tax bill. “I probably can’t afford to live here.” Her three adult children have left town and will not return. “I have very little confidence in the process we’re going through this evening.” She’s astonished by the eloquence of people saying how much they love the city. “I feel like a hostage in my own home and I feel like my bank account is being treated as a cookie jar.” She says she has no confidence in school reform in New Haven. They haven’t been able to do it before. Police will not reduce crime. “Mentor patrols” are needed.

She runs some numbers:
Forbes ranks New Haven as 57th most expensive property tax city in the country. $1,854 is the average property tax bill in USA. “I pay eight times that.” The average tax bill should be 1 percent of the value of the home; she pays twice that. Nationwide, homeowners pay 2.5 percent of their income on property taxes. Based on that, “I should have an income of $508,000. But I don’t!”  “Cut the fat. Make it work. You can do it.” “Please stop this perilous path to economic destruction…. Thank you for your time and please return that budget to the mayor.”

9:42: Mr. Lipsch says he’s lived 60 years in New Haven. He’s an elderly man with a thick accent. I’m having trouble understanding him, but he’s objecting to high taxes. He says he can’t find renters for his property. Why not cut the salaries of top earners? “I’m wondering what they’re doing with the money?” “You kill all the business. ... All the factories move.” “Where are people supposed to work now, in City Hall everybody, and suck my pocket?”

Mrs. Lipsch takes her turn. “Well, it used to be fun to own property. Not anymore. It’s a big headache.” And you can’t sell it because the property tax is too high. “I think New Haven builds too many new schools. ... Doesn’t the mayor think a little bit? ... And besides, where is the mayor this evening?” Applause. “Anyway, please don’t raise the tax. ... He should cut down with all the school buildings.”

9:49: I have to take a quick break. Be right back.

9:58: I’m back. I seem to have missed something. There’s an argument between Shah and the current speaker. The speaker: “This is a tragedy to have this gentleman running this committee.”

Shah: Do I go into your father’s church and start talking?

“I have received with nothing but contempt from you!” says the speaker. He’s speaking against the cutting of custodial jobs. He’s a union guy. “I can’t afford my taxes to go up.” He says he’s been waiting since 5:30 p.m. to speak, only to be disrespected by Shah. [What on Earth did I miss? Anyone?]

[Late update: Apparently there was a confrontation between Shah and the speaker, who is a member of the Brooks family and a relative of Alderwoman Andrea-Jackson Brooks. According to multiple people in the room: There was a call for anyone else who would like to speak. Brooks went up, sat down, and grabbed the mic. Shah interrupted him and said he had not been recognized. According to several people, Shah said, “You Brookses think you run everything.” Shah let other speakers go ahead of Brooks and then returned to him just as I was coming back into the room to hear the end of their dispute.]

10:01: Dick Lyons, former alderman, says he was on his way here tonight and people told him it was no use because aldermen are just a rubber stamp for the mayor. There are no new revenue recommendations in the budget. We’ve talked for years about fee for services for the major non-profits in New Haven. “You heard from the revenue source tonight and they’re not happy.” The whole state “reeks of a lack of creativity.” Connecticut’s big idea is Keno. Everywhere else on the East Coast you have to pay highway tolls. Tolls could raise $1 billion, he says.

10:05: No one else to testify. Meeting adjourned.