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05/15/2018 01:15 PMWith no opposition voiced by Chester residents at a May 9 public hearing, the proposed $13,722,002 2018-’19 town and schools budget will go to vote Wednesday, May 30.
The budget request shows an increase of $472,264 or 3.56 percent from last year. Two of the largest contributing factors to the increase in Chester’s budget are the Region 4 School District, of which Chester has a much larger portion this year due to rising enrollment, and the town’s capital budget, which aims to improve the meeting house and North Quarter Park, and cover road repairs.
Chester’s Board of Education budget is proposed at $9,133,130, an increase of $321,410 or 3.65 percent. Of that total, Region 4 makes up $4,469,581, an increase of $208,819 or 4.90 percent and Chester Elementary School makes up $4,663,549, an increase of $112,591 or 2.47 percent.
The town side of the budget requests $4,588,872, an increase of $150,854 or 3.40 percent. That total includes capital spending of $663,761 an increase of $205,761 or 44.93 percent.
The capital budget proposes $372,500 in improvements to infrastructure, split between Phase III of the Main Street Project ($25,000), energy efficient projects ($7,500), road and sidewalk repairs ($275,000), and North Quarter Park/Playground improvements ($65,000).
The town operating budget is proposed at $3,841,722, an increase of $77,899 or 2.07 percent. The Police Protection line is up $41,020 or 12.44 percent from last year, with $34,900 alloted to DUI enforcement.
The Health Services budget is proposed at $57,770, an increase of $36,220 or 168.07 percent. This increase includes the cost of Chester joining the Connecticut River Area Health District headquartered in Old Saybrook, effective July 1. The Connecticut Department of Public Health found that Chester currently provides only 6 of 10 essential health services.
“Expenses are growing faster than the Grand List, but they’re pretty much in line with overall inflation levels,” First Selectman Lauren Gister said. “Chester’s a pretty fiscally conservative town and we’re in good shape financially. We have a decent emergency fund and our maintenance and services are up to date.”
The recent lack of reliability in state funding which is also a main concern for the town of Chester. The expected funding from the state for the fiscal year 2018-’19 is $1,013,409, which is up $82,602 from last year and represents a little more than seven percent of the budget.
In addition to state funds and municipal fees, the town will collect $12,005,566 in property tax, an increase of $398,235 or 3.43 percent, to pay for the budget.
“Municipal aid has really been at risk the past few years,” Gister said. “One item called Town Aid Roads [Grant] we have received half of and are told not to hold our breaths for the other half.”
The town applied for a Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program grant, a transportation grant program that would help fund the next phase in the Main Street project, but that grant program is currently frozen along with the Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant, which funds economic development, community conservation, and quality-of-life capital projects.
A large decrease to Chester’s budget comes from a decrease in utilities regarding the cost of electricity for street lights as well as other energy efficiency projects. Street lights alone show a decrease of $14,000 or 33.33 percent from last years budget and the total lights/water budget is proposed at $121,500, a decrease of $5,500 or 4.33 percent.
Other good news comes from the town paying off its debt to purchase Town Hall.
“A big thing is the retirement of the Town Hall bond,” Gister said. “This building, when it was purchased, was partially financed through a bond and that bond matured this year.”
The retirement of this bond provided a savings of $132,806 or 61.43 percent.
Chester is proposing a new mill rate for 2018-’19 of 27.11, up 0.75 mills or 2.85 percent.
The annual town budget meeting vote will be held Wednesday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Chester Town Hall.