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04/07/2017 06:47 AMWith the hope that the state may provide some direction by mid-April on on what cuts and costs will hit the town next year, the Town Council is holding off it's town budget recommendation vote until the latest possible moment, cancelling budget sessions set for April 6 and April 11.
The council will instead reconvene on Tuesday, April 18 for a final discussion and vote on the proposed 2017-18 town budget, which stands at approximately $51 million and carries a tax increase of 6.13 percent. That's a mill rate increase of 1.96 mills, which would bring the new rate up to 33.94 next year (currently, the mill rate is 31.98).
The proposed town budget figure is down slightly from the $51.3 million, 6.28 percent tax increase discussed at a public hearing on April 4, due to some "housekeeping" changes voted in by the council on April 5, said Town Manager Michael Paulhus.
The changes voted in on April 5 include a $264,792 decrease delivered by the Board of Education (BOE) on April 4 for previously undetermined medical insurance savings. That savings was offset by another needed change voted in by the council, a decrease of the taxable Grand List by $376,206. The grand list revision reflects recent Board of Assessment Appeals actions.
The council, which also serves as North Branford's Finance Board, is wrestling with what Paulhus describes as a "catastrophic" budget year, due to state revenue shortfalls due to Connecticut's budget deficit woes.
North Branford is planning for a state revenue shortfall of $2.2 million. The town needs to come up with the loss by paring down municipal expenses, borrowing an unprecedented $750,000 from the general fund balance, and spending cost savings that would have kicked in as the town's debt service costs decrease next year.
The $2.2 million the town needs to make up does not include another $1.4 million proposed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy as part of a 134-town municipal support plan for the state's Teachers Pension Fund, which would have brought the town's state revenue shortfall up to a total of $3.6 million next year.
As previously reported, due to anticipated legislative actions (or lack thereof, within the coming year) state representatives have signaled to town leaders that governor's proposal will likely not be enacted in the coming fiscal year. Based on that information, North Branford is not planning for the $1.4 potential cost. If Malloy's proposal does go on to be enacted next year, supplemental tax bills would likely be issued to support the town's share.
The town government operating expense side of the budget adds up to some $15 million with an added $4,289,220 in debt service cost and $240,000 in capital improvements. At the public hearing on April 4, Economic Development Commission members Elisabeth Kaplan and Chris Kranick asked the council to re-instate a 2017-18 budget request for $20,000 to $24,000 to hire a part-time Economic Development Coordinator. There were no speakers opposed to the town government budget.
The lion's share of the $51 million town budget comes from the BOE's $31.5 million schools budget request. Year to year, the BOE is seeking an increase of some 2.83 percent. On April 4, seven citizens spoke in support of keeping the proposed schools budget intact, including North Branford High School science teacher and Connecticut 2017 Teacher of the Year Lauren Danner. There were no speakers opposed to the school budget.
In presenting the BOE budget at the public hearing on April 4, Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker explained that to simply keep the "status quo" the proposed budget needs to increase by 2.02 percent, or $621,292.
Above and beyond the "status quo" the BOE is asking for an increase in costs of 0.81% , or $247,349 to answer growing needs of the district which supporters say cannot be ignored.
While the district anticipates the town's current student enrollment of 1767 to continue to decline (down 62 from last year); the school system is already operating at the edge of its limits, said Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoomaker.
The biggest added increase the district seeks for 2017-18 is the addition of three certified instructional coach positions (one for grades K-5 Science, one for 6-12 English Language Arts and one for grades 6 – 12 math); as well as one special education paraprofessional for K-4.
As the council deliberates, Schoonmaker asked them to recognize that each one percent cut to the schools' budget will mean the BOE will need to make reductions totaling $306,877.
To make up for budget cuts impacting the current (2016-17) school year, the district eliminated four regular education teaching position this year and also eliminated 1.66 paraprofessional positions, as well as eliminating one custodian position and reducing all teachers' work year by two days (the equivalent of eliminating 1.8 full time equivalents). The district also reduced one clerical position by 0.20. Among budget cutbacks enacted in 2015-16, the district eliminated three regular teaching positions.