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Bishop: Now It Is Your Turn

There will be a final review of the proposed 2018-’19 budget on Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Westbrook High School Auditorium. Immediately following this discussion, a formal vote on the budget will occur rather than via a referendum. All eligible taxpayers are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting and cast their vote on the proposed $30,127,003 budget. This represents, currently, a 1.4 percent increase of expenditures. The total budget will be printed in the Harbor News and a “Citizen’s Guide” to the Town of Westbrook budget was mailed to all residents on April 20. Accordingly, every effort has been made to inform and educate the public on all aspects related to the budget.

It is now your turn, on May 15, to come to the above noted meeting and vote. The boards of Finance, Education, and Selectmen have spent approximately five months with countless hours reviewing every line item for next year’s budget. Their due diligence reflects their dedication and commitment to presenting a budget that continues to provide the excellent services that we have come to expect from our municipal government and school system. Before the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance finalized the budget, significant cuts were made to the municipal departments and, thus, I know how important it is for all of us to hold the bottom line to avoid significant tax increases.

Our Board of Education, for the first time in many years, has submitted a budget that is up by less than 0.5 percent. Many of the department heads in the municipal government proposed budgets that reflect no increase, except for staff salaries that represent our continued commitment to our employees for their conscientious service to our residents.

It should be noted, and this will be discussed at the budget meeting on May 15, that our Grand List is up 0.42 percent; however, due to major reductions in revenue from the state, our sources of revenue will affect the final budget. Since the State of Connecticut has a budget crisis that is beyond our control, we are expected to absorb some of the deficit that has been incurred by the state over the past several years.

It is your turn as residents to come on May 15 and cast your vote.