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This Impossible Situation

The most honest thing that can be said about the proposed town and education budgets is that they are not in fact true budgets since the expense side of the budget is the only part that is known. We will have no idea what our revenues from the state will be and are not likely to know until after our referendums.

In the 2016-’17 fiscal year, the estimated reduction in revenues to Clinton was $1.5 million. When the dust settled, the cut was less than $300,000. I do not suggest that we will not be having substantial losses in revenue this coming fiscal year. We do not know the numbers nor do we have any idea what the mill rate will be, period

The increases in the town budget are modest and have more to do with expected loss of revenues and a one-time offset from the last fiscal year than to budget increases. In fact, most categories of the budget show decreases.

The only reliable numbers to use when considering one’s vote is that there was a 4.07 percent increase in the combined budgets, which includes a 2.9 percent increase in the operating budget for education. We have been reliably paying on debt service for the new Morgan with favorable bonding rates and this accounts for a large chunk of the increase to the Board of Education budget.

I encourage your readers to call their state senator and representative and ask them to negotiate in good faith with the legislature and governor. Our Board of Finance members, particularly our Board of Finance Chairman Jack Scherban, have worked endless hours trying to sort out this impossible situation.

Laurie Santos

Clinton

Laurie Santos serves as an alternate on the Board of Finance.