Municipal Agenda

          By making Waterbury a more desirable business location, responsive to the needs of the business community, we will lay the foundation for future growth that will benefit the entire community.

The management of the city’s public finance function was effectively transferred to the state-appointed Waterbury Financial Planning and Assistance Board over 2 years ago.  In that time great strides have been made to improve the city’s financial conditions and the city’s ability to better control its finances.  The Chamber continues to strongly endorse the efforts of the Board to stabilize Waterbury’s finances, establish meaningful accountability and to reorganize the delivery of city services in a cost-effective manner.  We believe the Board’s success in achieving these objectives will enable Waterbury to position itself for future growth.

Since the Mayor serves as a member of this Board, we believe it is essential that the Mayor continue to exhibit the high level of support and cooperation that he has demonstrated over the last two years to assist the Board’s in its goal to reform and restructure the public finance function.  Additionally, we seek the ongoing commitment of the  Mayor to work in partnership with the Board to identify, adopt and implement reforms and initiatives intended to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of city government.

The City administration must continue to implement financial management processes that provide for accountability and performance standards for city departments.  Improving the efficiency and accountability of city government is a necessary step in restoring trust and confidence, thus creating an environment for business growth and expansion.  Working in partnership with the Mayor, we need to determine the reforms and restructuring which can be implemented administratively and those which requires subsequent charter revision.

The Chamber membership supports initiatives and programs that are intended to expand the commercial and industrial segments of the grand list.  Future business growth and capital expansion in Waterbury requires a commitment to achieve and maintain a reasonable mil rate that enables Waterbury to retain existing businesses, attract new businesses and allow those businesses to compete effectively. 

We expect the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen to continue to support the following:

• to examine the contribution and operating efficiency of all city assets so as to determine whether or not they should be retained or subject to disposal.  Non-critical and under-performing assets should not be maintained at taxpayer’s expense.  The Administration must strategically review the operation of the water and sewage assets to ensure that they are making a real contribution to the city’s fiscal well-being;

• to evaluate the feasibility of privatizing certain municipal functions, such as refuse collection and parks maintenance;

• the strengthen the city planning function by fully staffing the office;

• to complete and adopt a revised comprehensive plan of development that will enable Waterbury to plan for future growth;

• to convene a city Economic Summit to ascertain the appropriate next steps in the city’s ongoing revitalization efforts;

• to improve the economic competitiveness and health of Waterbury and its neighbors in the Greater Waterbury region by supporting the Regional Economic Alliance;

• to partner with the Greater Danbury, Greater Valley and Greater Torrington regions on matters of mutual concern;

• to endorse the strategic economic development plan adopted by the Waterbury Partnership for Growth;

• to aggressively work with private and public  partners to rehabilitate under-utilized and abandoned space so as to increase the inventory of industrial and commercial space to optimize potential tax revenues;

• to support the efforts of the Workforce Investment Board to establish a 501(c)3 corporation to meet the workforce training needs of local businesses; and

• to support the Connecticut Main Street program in downtown Waterbury.

A viable public school system is a critical component of economic growth and development.  Apart from the intrinsic benefits of creating opportunities for students, improving the public school system helps maintain property values, retains and attracts residents committed to education enhancement, and supports business growth and expansion. 

The Chamber believes the City administration must support the following initiatives:

• to support through City Charter change revisions to the method in which the city Board of Education is selected.  Additionally to require threshold requirements of appointed candidates to the Board of Education;

• to work closely with the Board of Education and the School Superintendent to improve Waterbury’s performance relative to other districts in the state and within its peer group;

• to develop a capital investment and maintenance program that will address current infrastructure deficiencies and plan for the future;

• to encourage the Board of Education to engage such experts to establish a curriculum for current and new Principals to teach them the basic skills of leadership so vital to the success of each school within the city’s system;

• to encourage the Board of Education to engage such experts to conduct an assessment of the city schools’ academic curricula with regard to these particular disciplines;

• to be a catalyst for bringing the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, parents and guardians, other appropriate and interested parties, social service agencies, foundations, the business community and others together to begin a dialogue on the state of the city’s public schools and to chart a course for an improved future.

• to encourage the Board of Education to examine the viability and benefits of recreating neighborhood schools and abolishing the middle school concept;

• to encourage the Board of Education to identify a curriculum for the Arts Magnet School that will be attractive and alluring to students throughout the Greater Waterbury region; and

• to encourage the Board of Education to establish talent criteria for admission into the Arts Magnet School.

The business community is committed to improving the image of Waterbury so as to make the city a desirable location for businesses and to create an environment that attracts business and customers. 

The City of Waterbury must be a partner in this effort and we are asking the mayor to commit to the following initiatives and programs:

• to improve city services in respect of garbage removal and street sweeping;to rigorously enforce city codes in respect of abandoned property or vacant space;

• to advocate and provide funding for Waterbury’s affiliation with the national “Keep America Beautiful” program to address litter problems and environmental education;

• to enable “volunteerism” (through appropriate revisions in union contracts) to address local and community organized clean-ups and improvements; and

• to develop and support a comprehensive marketing plan for internal and external target markets that enhanced Waterbury’s image and facilitates economic development initiatives.

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 The Future of Waterbury

The Chamber’s 2004-2005 municipal agenda identifies the issues our members believe are critical for the business community.  It is apparent to many that the keys to Waterbury’s future involve difficult choices and hard decisions.  The past few years signal the promise of a new start, but we cannot allow the momentum to slow.   

We believe that an Administration committed to working with the business community to secure a better future for all the stakeholders in Waterbury can accomplish much.  The Chamber is committed to forging a partnership with a City Administration that is committed to supporting Waterbury’s business community.