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05/10/2022 01:09 PMThis year’s budgets are headed to referendum vote on Tuesday, May 17. The proposed combined town and schools budget is $91,360,085, a $2,955,218 or 3.3 percent increase over current budgeted spending. Of that, the town side of the budgets asks for $31,104,668, a $1,971,838 or 6.77 percent increase, while the schools proposal is $60,255,417, a $983,380 or 1.66 percent increase.
First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons said there are several short- and long-term items residents should note when they vote.
“I think this budget reflects the priorities of the town right now,” Lyons said. “We are trying to prepare for the future with this budget on the capital side. So, we are trying to save some money so that when we start feeling the impact of the debt service we will be taking on because of the School Renewal Plan and the Academy project, we have the ability to dip into other sources to maintain our capital program. So this is really a preparation for the future, and we are trying to ease that impact in.”
According to Lyons, staffing costs presented a particular challenge, but savings in some departments will absorb needed public safety hires.
“Another priority is public safety and health,” Lyons said. “Particularly this year, we have added two police officers to this budget and that is the major staffing change. We have made some changes to staffing, but we have pretty much offset those with reductions in other areas. The Police Department was seen as a priority in terms of staffing.”
According to Lyons, the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance were concerned with cost stability and reducing the operational expenditures.
“I think also this shows we are continuing to slow the growth of the operating budget. When I took office, the previous year’s operating budget had grown by over seven percent, and I think it had grown by high numbers in previous years,” Lyons said. “So, we really tried to make an effort. Almost 70 percent of our operating budget is staffing-related costs, and so I have been really focused on trying to slow the growth of that fixed cost base. What was a couple of years ago a seven percent rate, is now more like a three percent growth rate.”
The Board of Finance Chair John Picard emphasized that despite an overall budget increase of 3.34 percent, town officials do not expect the mill rate to increase accordingly due to unexpected increases in the Grand List.
“I thought the process was very good this year and very open,” Picard said. “We do not anticipate the mill rate going up by that figure [3.34 percent], as our Grand List went up more than anticipated, so the mill rate will not go up by that 3.34 percent. We are looking at an increase of less than two percent, around 1.6 or 1.7 percent. I’m very confident that the mill rate will be going up under two percent.”
Lyons said she, too, was especially pleased with the stability in the mill rate.
“Once again, we will be looking at a mill rate increase of less than two percent, which I think is fantastic. If you look at other communities, I think we have done a really good job being able to deliver improvements and refinements but still keep the mill rate growth at a fairly modest rate,” Lyons said.
Picard also emphasized that the education budget, which is seeing a 1.66 percent increase, is actually providing a substantial increase that may not be reflected in the 1.66 percent figure. According to Picard, the Board of Education (BOE) debt service had decreased by a significant amount so the board’s actual budget increase is a larger figure than the base figure of 1.66 percent.
“There’s a good portion of the budget actually increased by more than a million dollars,” Picard said, “so, they are putting money toward education, because we all know how important that is,” Picard said.
Picard said bringing a measure of stability in inevitable tax increases, rather than delay and possibly incur large spikes in the town’s committed debt service payments in future budgets, was a critical component of this year’s fiscal plan for the Board of Finance.
“Whether you voted for the referendum for or against [Academy and the school renovations], the referendum passed, so what we are trying to do is stabilize those expected increases in the coming years,” said Picard. “Even though those projects may not be starting until next year, we want to build that up so that we won’t have tax spikes in coming years. We simply are trying to provide some stability in how those increases impact residents. I am not saying there won’t be any increase, we just want to try and spread this pout and plan for it now, and to accommodate the projects that will be coming in the future.”
The figures residents will be voting on are as follows:
2021-’22 Town Budget: $29,132,830
2022-’23 Proposed Budget: $31,104,668
Dollar Increase: $1,971,838
Percentage Increase: 6.77
2021-’22 Education Budget: $59,272,037
2022-’23 Proposed Budget: $60,255,417
Dollar Increase: $983,380
Percentage Increase: 1.66
2021-’22 Overall Budget: $88,404,867
2022-’23 Proposed Budget: $91,360,085
Dollar Increase: $2,955,218
Percentage Increase: 3.34
Find the full porposed budget on pages 14 through 20.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17. For voter information, visit www.madisonct.org/400/Voting-Elections. Polling places are:
District I-Walter C. Polson Middle School, 302 Green Hill Road
District 2-Dr. Robert H. Brown Intermediate School, 980 Durham Road (Route 79)