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1. Why can’t Capital Improvements be cut to lower taxes?

The city must levy at least the value of 2% of the prior year's General Fund budget for capital improvements pursuant to Norwich City Charter Chapter VII, Section 17.

2. Why can’t Debt Service be cut to lower taxes?

Debt service payments are scheduled principal and interest payments to bondholders. If the city were to stop paying its debt service requirements, it would be break its contractual obligation and ruin its credit rating.

3. How does Norwich’s spending compare to other communities?

There is no simple answer to this question. A comparison of spending without considering all of the underlying factors would not be meaningful. You would need to know the community’s population; school enrollment; square mileage; miles of local roads; whether they have a paid police department; whether they have paid, volunteer or blended fire departments; how many services and programs, if any, are offered by their Recreation, Senior Center and Human Services departments; what are they investing in capital improvements vs. what should they be investing in capital improvements; what is their debt load; how is refuse pickup paid for; etc.

One benchmark you can use is the property tax burden. Norwich has one of the lowest per capita property tax burdens in Connecticut.

The Connecticut Office of Policy & Management issues a report called the Municipal Fiscal Indicators each year which compares several different aspects of municipal finances across the 169 Connecticut towns and cities.
OPM Municipal Fiscal Indicators

4. What can Local Capital Improvement Program (LOCIP) funds be used for?

This is the list of the currently eligible uses of LOCIP funds:
• ROAD construction, renovation, repair, or resurfacing,
• SIDEWALK and pavement improvements,
• SEWER facilities/lines construction, renovation, enlargement, or repair,
• PUBLIC BUILDINGS, other than schools, construction, renovation, code compliance, energy conservation and fire safety,
• DAMS/BRIDGES/FLOOD CONTROL construction, renovation, enlargement, or repair,
• WATER TREATMENT OR FILTRATION facilities/mains construction, renovation, enlargement, or repair,
• SOLID WASTE facilities construction, renovation, or enlargement,
• PUBLIC PARKS improvements,
• CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS,
• EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS systems improvements and BUILDING SECURITY SYSTEMS, INCLUDING FOR SCHOOLS
• PUBLIC HOUSING renovation and improvements,
• VETERANS MEMORIALS,
• THERMAL IMAGING SYSTEMS,
• BULKY WASTE/LANDFILL PROJECTS,
• CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT PLANS,
• AUTO EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS,
• FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT AND HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIVITIES,
• ON-BOARD OIL REFINING SYSTEMS, and
• THE PLANNING OF A MUNICIPAL BROADBAND NETWORK

5. Why is it important for the City to maintain its fund balance and fund its pension obligations?

Maintaining an adequate fund balance and funding long-term obligations bring more predictability and stability to the budget process and, over the long-term, improve the City’s chances for future bond ratings upgrades; which, in turn, will lower our borrowing costs.

The City adopted policies for maintaining the fund balance of the General Fund and funding its pension and OPEB obligations in December 2014. You can read more about the rationale behind these policies in the memo regarding financial management policies.