However, despite basic agreement, there were clear-cut differences of opinions on the best way to accomplish those goals in the future, with some barely concealed rancor over the way town finances have been handled in the past on the Democratic-controlled Board.
Four candidates, including Democrats Helen Garten and Brian Stern, grappled with these issues along with Republican candidates Avi Kaner and Bob Zappi. Two of the panelists, Garten and Kaner, are veterans of the board, and Stern and Zappi are vying for the chance to join the town's influential financial overseer.
Democrats hold the majority on the board and this past year there were several instances of acrimony and disagreement between the Democrats and the Republicans as to the best way to hold down costs, with Democrats in the majority prevailing.
Garten, currently vice chairman of the board, will be the chairman if Democrats continue to hold their majority. Garten suggested starting with looking at the town and school maintenance departments to seek ways to achieve efficiencies to save money.
She said, "We should focus on where we can achieve those efficiencies rather than focusing directly on cost." Garten said she would like to be creative where possible, and look at joint purchasing between different departments or increasing purchasing power by combining purchases with other towns.
Democrat Brian Stern, now retired after a career of 36 years as an executive with Xerox Corporation, said he has managed many organizations and has experience with imposing shared services between departments. He acknowledged the difficulty in making such changes.
"If they are doing the same jobs it makes sense to share, but giving up control is always difficult." He said, "All the candidates see the need. Increasing productivity is a non-partisan activity."
Republican Avi Kaner, an outspoken advocate for combining town and school services, noted some past success with the plan, specifically the VOIP telephone system, which resulted in a telephone system shared by town and school departments and cost savings. He lamented, however, "An area we missed was a combination of the accounting systems. The town chose a system incompatible with the school system. Now the town has one system and the schools have another." He warned, "This mentality does not work any more in our new economic environment. It is easier to say you are consolidating, but harder to do it." Kaner emphasized, "There is no difference between a check for a teacher and a check for a fireman. That is strategic, and it is the right thing to do. It saves us money going forward."
Zappi, an entrepreneur who has owned and operated his own successful marketing business, chose as an example Madison, Connecticut, calling it a town much like Westport, saying that town began their consolidation process 15 years ago.
Kaner said the best example of a potential opportunity is in health insurance costs, "which have gone through the roof. This is a wonderful opportunity to consolidate with other towns where we could seek bids from insurance companies for a larger population."
Kaner also suggested using benchmarks to compare the costs of services within Westport with the costs of other towns. "We should compare how much other towns spend on their services to what we spend in Westport. We should share resources and information with our surrounding communities." Kaner is a frequent critic of town officials for spending more than other towns on significant benchmarks, such as police and unfunded pension liabilities.
In response to a question regarding ways the Board of Education can save money, Kaner said that the cost per student per household in Westport is not significantly higher than other communities with excellent schools, saying the town's benchmarks are significantly higher. He criticized a recent decision imposed by the Board of Finance that cut $1.4 million from both the town and education budgets, saying the expenses on the town side were more out of line than those of the Board of Education. "You have to use discipline and finance skills." Zappi agreed, calling the cut purely arbitrary.
Garten staunchly defended the decision made by the Democratic-controlled board to cut $1.4 million from both budgets. "The proof is in the result. It enabled us to avoid raising taxes. Schools and town each could find the amount without drastically changing programs. Westport is not a business, it is a community, and we asked everyone to pitch in.
"I see the recession continuing imposing additional pressure on our revenues," she said. "It will be difficult to impose a sharp tax increase. We must preserve our services. In effect, people are asking us to keep things stable and that is how I am going to approach the next budget season."
Stern said, "Most communities are envious of what our Board of Education has created." He called for prudent management. "The best way to get cooperation between the institutions who spend and those who control the money is to give early warning. There ought to be no surprises at the last minute." He also said he supported using data to effectively compare existing costs between departments.
In their closing statements, each candidate pressed his or her vision for the best fiscal management of the town. Zappi stressed his own entrepreneurial success and financial experience, important in current turbulent times.
Kaner argued for addressing a proper cost structure in the town budget, while maintaining strong support for Westport schools. He advocated imposing rigorous financial discipline.
Stern advocated a positive attitude and called for a renewed sense of efficiency, prudence and caution, a huge challenge, he said, but doable. He said his experience is consistent with these challenging times.
Garten said, "We have achieved the right balance. We avoided a tax increase and maintained our rating. We must plan more carefully, and more efficiently. We must reach out to develop a budget strategy on the Board of Education, monitor next year's revaluation to insure transparencies."