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04/18/2019 12:00 AMWith some final changes which cut a proposed 1.56 percent tax hike down to a 0.21 percent increase instead, North Branford's Town Council voted unanimously (8-0) on April 16 to recommend a $53.98 million 2019-29 Town Budget with a mill rate increase of 0.07 mills.
Next, the budget heads to the annual Budget Referendum Vote on May 14, when electors can weigh on whether they approve, or reject it as too high or too low. Following the May 14 vote, the council, which is also North Branford's Finance Board, will convene to the set the new mill rate for fiscal year July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. The council-recommended budget puts the town's mill rate up slightly next year, from the current rate of 33.39 mills to 33.46 mills.
To significantly lower the amount of revenue taxpayers will be asked to contribute to operate the town and its schools next year, on April 16, the council voted unanimously to nearly double an originally-proposed general fund balance appropriation. The new appropriation totals $651,975.
"The fund balance has risen over the last few years, and the council chose to appropriate some of that toward the 2019-20 budget to minimize the impact on taxpayers," said Town Finance Director Anthony Esposito.
Also as part of the 2019-20 budget, the Town Council appropriated $1,022,000 from the general fund balance for capital improvement projects.
The council is allowed to borrow up to 15 percent of the fund for annual budget use, if needed. The total borrow for 2019-20 is "...a little under 15 percent -- still solid," Esposito told the council on April 16.
The nine-member council currently has a Republican majority of six members and a Democratic minority of three members. Councilman George Mills (D) was not in attendance at the April 16 meeting.
Among several "housekeeping" adjustments made to the 2019-20 budget on April 16, based on figures from the Board of Assessment Appeals, the council unanimously approved a reduction of $305,240 from the previously reported Grand List annual increase of $15,617,876. The Town's Grand List is up by approximately 1.29 percent year-over-year.
Support for Schools
On April 16, the council also finalized the bottom line in operating expenses budgeted for schools next year, supporting an increase of $538,539 in annual spending. Although that figure cuts away $150,000 from the total annual increase requested by the Board of Education (BOE), the sum still represents a significant increase in the school operating budget; a fact which did not go unnoticed by BOE members attending the April 16 meeting. While Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker was traveling and could not attend, BOE member Marcey Onofrio (D) said she had relayed the final figure to him from the meeting, and that he sent his thanks to the council.
Speaking to the council during citizens' statements at the end of the April 16 meeting, Onofrio said, "You know when I have something to say, I say it, even when I shouldn't a lot of times – but tonight, you left me speechless. Thank you."
The BOE decides which areas of its proposed schools operating budget will be adjusted or cut, based on the final monies provided in the Town's adopted annual budget.
Other Adjustments to Town Budget
On the way to setting the budget's bottom line at $53,983,433 on April 16, the council made a number of adjustments, including some to items which had been left on the table following its April 9 budget workshop (see Zip06/The Sound's coverage of the April 9 budget workshop here
Most of the motions to adjust the budget were made by Deputy Mayor Rose Marie Angeloni (R).
Some of the more notable adjustments made on April 16 by the council included the following:
The council voted to delete a requested $56,700 expense, proposed by Town Manager Michael Paulhus, to cover about 50 percent of new recycling disposal costs impacting waste contractor John's Refuse & Recycling (Northford). As Angeloni noted when making the motion to delete the sum, the town is not contractually obligated to pay the cost. The town is currently in the first year of two, 2-year extensions (total four years) to a five-year contract with the hauler. At the time the contract was approved, recycling haulers were earning $95 per ton for recycling materials; now, haulers are now paying $12 per ton to offload recycling material, said Paulhus.
Councilman Al Rose (R) asked the council to delete $39,672 (plus $575 in ancillary costs) which he had previously supported as a new budget expense for a new, part-time Building Official position to assist the current Building Official. Instead of funding a 19-hour position at $40 an hour, Rose made a motion, approved by the council, to place $10,000 in a contingency fund as a safety measure, should additional support be required in the coming year by the department.
Based on feedback from the Economic Development Commission, the council deleted a $4,800 annual fee for REX Development, an economic development service program of non-profit Economic Development Corporation of New Haven. The decision was a 6-2 vote, with Democrats Joseph Faughnan and Marie Diamond voting against deleting the funds, after Paulhus had suggested keeping that amount in the budget for possible use with a smaller, shoreline-focused Economic Development collaborative that's in very early discussion among commissions including North Branford, Branford, Guilford and Madison. Mayor Michael Doody (R) said if the program were to start up, contingency fund expenses could be requested at that time, rather than budgeting money now.
In other Economic Development budget news, the council also learned it wouldn't need to deliberate further on its debate of April 9 on whether to approve a request to increase the Town's new Economic Development Coordinator (EDC) part-time position from 19 hours to 25 hours (full-time). In addition to the proposed $7,830 annual salary increase, taking the position to full-time added costs of over $18,000 in benefits. At the April 16 meeting, information was shared from EDC director Roger Salway that he did not want to increase his hours and did not need benefits. However, in recognition of Salway's notable progress on behalf of the Town since he began the job last spring, the council voted unanimously on April 16 to increase his pay from $25 to $30 per hour in the 2019-20 budget, a total of $4,959.
The council also approved appropriating $25,000 to hire a consulting firm next year, the council also positioned the town to begin addressing a potential personnel consolidation which would merge the Town and BOE Finance Departments into one. The firm will be hired to develop a personnel consolidation plan in 2019-20. Actual personnel changes are not anticipated to take place in the next fiscal year, according to discussion among council members on April 16.
The council appropriated $40,000 to replace the roof at the Town-owned Augur House.
At the conclusion of its regular Town Council meeting on April 16, the council voted unanimously to recommend the $53.98 million 2019-20 budget, and put it in the form of a referendum question vote set for May 14.
Paulhus told Zip06/The Sound that, based on what he felt was very successful and collaborative budget work done by town, school and government leaders this year, he did not anticipate voters raising any issues on the budget at the polls on May 14.
"I feel like the process was pretty smooth this year," said Paulhus. "I think that everyone that I've talked to is pleased with the work of the budget, and the result."