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A Few Salient Facts

Next Wednesday, April 11, at 7 p.m., Clinton taxpayers are invited to participate in a public hearing to voice their concerns with the town and education budgets.

Here are a few salient facts: While the proposed budget increases for the town and education are 4.6- and 4.2 percent, respectively, the tax increase is 4.9 percent because of cuts in Education Cost Sharing Grants and unfunded mandates that aren’t in the budget but are factored into taxes.

That’s a 4.9 percent increase on top of the 10.1 percent tax increase this year.

The proposed town budget includes $243,525 in contractual obligations that were unilaterally added after budget workshops had been closed, impairing scrutiny and questioning. The Board of Selectmen was not even consulted about these additions.

Likewise, $145,000 in unfunded mandates was appended to the bottom of the budget legal notice, with no explanation or review by either the board of Selectmen or Finance.

According to Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell, the education budget passed the Board of Education unanimously. Yet Doug Traynor, who serves on both the boards of Education and Finance, moved to reduce the education operating budget to $32 million, which is $835,931 less than the Board of Finance ultimately passed by a 3 to 2 vote.

How might Mr. Traynor have justified such a cut? Towns all over Connecticut must cut education budgets this year due to cuts in cost sharing grants from the state and because the minimum budget requirement that will lock in these high budgets if we fail to adjust them to reflect the lower grants now. Clinton taxpayers have weathered more than $1 million in grant cuts since 2015 and can expect to weather another $386,838 in grant cuts this year.

On April 11, Clinton taxpayers have an opportunity to say “och!”

Kirk Carr

Clinton

Kirk Carr (R) serves as an alternate on the Board of Finance.