Council Sets Calendar for Budget Season
At its Jan. 3 meeting, the Town Council unanimously approved a budget calendar that calls for the council to hold a series of workshops during February before providing a proposed budget on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The looming departure of the Town Manager and the lack of a Finance Director adds a layer of complexity to the matter.
The Town Council will receive budget presentations across different days next month. First, on Feb. 6, Town Manager Karl Kilduff will provide a brief overview of his proposed town budget and Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell will present the proposed Board of Education budget at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.
Next, department heads will present their proposed budgets at workshops on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and Thursdays, Feb. 15 and 22. The schedule for which departments are reviewed on which date is still being determined. In addition to the town departments and the education budget, the capital and debt budgets will also be discussed at the workshops.
Following all the workshops, the council will hold a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. to vote on the proposed budget. At the meeting, the council can accept or ask for changes to be made to the budget. The council will vote that night to forward the proposed town and education budgets to a public hearing in April.
The public can attend the workshops, but public input is not part of the workshops. Instead, a public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 4.
At the public hearing, speakers can voice their opinions for or against either the education or town budget. Immediately following the public hearing, the Town Council will hold a special meeting at which it can make one last round of changes to either budget before sending them to a referendum in May.
At the referendum, residents vote to approve or reject the proposed town and education budgets individually. Even though both the town and education budgets make up the total town budget, voters cast their vote for the town and education budgets separately, which means it is possible for voters to pass one budget and reject the other in the same referendum.
If one or both of the budgets fail, the Town Council will revise it immediately following the vote. Another public hearing is held the following week, and another referendum is held the week after the public hearing. Multiple referenda have not happened in Clinton since 2018.
A New Wrinkle
Budget season over the last three years has gone relatively smoothly in Clinton. However, 2024 presents new challenges. In December 2023, former Finance Director Sue Cunningham retired, and then later in the month, Kilduff announced he would be leaving Clinton to take a job in Weston.
Typically, Kilduff is the one preparing the proposed budget for the council to review. Kilduff’s last day in Clinton will be Monday, Feb. 19, right in the middle of budget season.
Town Council chairperson Carrie Allen said that the town is actively looking to fill Kilduff’s position.
“As for the finance director, Karl has re-advertised the position, and the due date for applications is the end of January. In the meantime, the Deputy Finance Director [Erica Falanga] is filling some of the roles and responsibilities of Finance Director,” Allen said.
Earlier this month, Allen said that Clinton will likely need to point an interim town manager once Kilduff leaves. Allen said the interim manager will also provide some guidance on the proposed budget if needed.
“As far as the budget is concerned, the budget schedule has been agreed upon and the council will take full advantage of Karl’s remaining time here to fully understand the town’s side of the budget. When Karl is gone, the interim town manager will help us with budget deliberations. Karl will both brief the interim on his budget concerns and speak of possible updates and adjustments,” Allen said.
In the past, Allen has praised Kilduff for his work on the budgets and said even after he leaves Clinton, he can still help the town through the remainder of the process.
“I am relieved to have the time we do with Karl, and unlike most years, this month of February will be dedicated almost entirely to our focus on the budget. Again, when Karl was hired by Weston, he made it clear to them that, if needed, he would make himself available to Clinton for 60 days after his departure,” Allen said.