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04/02/2019 03:09 PMThe Board of Finance (BOF) approved a proposed 2019-’20 town and schools budget that would increase town spending without an overall tax hike, leaving the mill rate at a steady 31.18. The budget went to a BOF public hearing on April 2 (after press time) and goes next to the annual Town Budget Meeting on Monday, May 13 and to referendum on Tuesday, May 21.
The proposed budget is set for $103,785,950, a spending increase of 6.6 percent on the town side and 3.9 percent from the Board of Education (BOE).
The town is seeing a significant rise in its annual debt payment. Last year the debt payment was $6,679,000; this year it is $9,085,747, a $2,406,747 or 36 percent jump. First Selectman Mike Freda attributed the rise to bonding for infrastructure projects like the new middle school, the police department, and the new firehouses.
The town will cover part of this year’s payment with $1.4 million from the debt reserve fund created in preparation for this occurrence.
“[Director of Finance Ed Swinkoski] and I have been planning for this [debt payment] for several years, knowing that when you bond and borrow to improve the town,” debt will increase, Freda said at the March 26 BOF meeting.
Also offsetting increased spending is a significant rise in the town’s Grand List of Taxable Properties, which quantifies the town’s tax base.
“Our top-line revenue growth, our Grand List growth, at 2.8 percent is one of the largest growths in the state of Connecticut,” Freda said. “I’ve said it many times that we will continue to grow our top-line revenue.”
The budget also includes money to improve the police and fire departments with new dispatchers and two new firefighters per shift, though Fire Chief Paul Januszewski has requested six additional personnel in the future.
The inclusion of the two firefighters was opposed by BOF Secretary Michael Hallahan, who was the only dissenting vote on the town budget at the March meeting. He voted with his board members in favor of the proposed BOE budget and the overall budget.
“If we’re going to go and add two people per year for at least three years at full cost to the town, I think that we should instead consider using the SAFER grant program,” he said, referring to a federal grant that might pay for the new personnel’s salaries for the first few years.
Hallahan proposed removing the two additional firefighters from the budget and instead applying for the grant later in the year.
Other members of the board disagreed.
“There’s so many things that could change in a year. We know a lot of things are happening at the state level. There could be other needs that happen in town that supersede it for whatever reason,” said BOF Chair Richard Monico.