Town Finalizes Budget Proposal With 6 Percent Increase

On Thursday night, the Board of Selectmen finalized a $78.8 million budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, a 6 percent increase from this year’s $74.3 million total.

While the tax increase will likely be less than 6 percent because of an expanded grand list, it will be pretty close to that number, Finance Director Rudie Beers said. The largest reason for the increase is because of bonding from constructing five new or renovated schools, First Selectman Dan Steward said.

“I will tell you that the biggest increase is our debt services,” Steward said.

The budget will go before the Board of Finance on April 4 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, and there will be a public comment section at the beginning of the meeting. If the Board of Finance approves the budget that night, it will go before the Representative Town Meeting for final approval in early May.

“We did everything we could to keep (the budget) under control,” Steward said. “We are running a bare-bones operation.”

Background

Technically, Thursday the Board of Selectmen approved the municipal government and capital budgets for next year, which amounted to $34.6 million, a 10 percent increase from this year’s $31.4 million total. The Board of Education , a 3 percent increase, with the overall total being $78.8 Million.

The largest single increase was a $1.36 million, or 67 percent, rise in debt services from paying off loans for constructing five new or renovated schools. Clark Lane Middle School and all three elementary schools are either new buildings or have been renovated, and Waterford High School The overall costs of those projects is more than $200 million.

Other drivers have increased the budget as well. The largest operational increase was in health care costs, which rose by 8.48 percent for the Board of Education and 21 percent for the municipal government.

Steward said the town had a study done when the idea to construct five new schools was presented, and the study said the town should keep annual tax increase at 6 percent or less. The town is right at the level, and the increase should likely be lower next year, according

Steward said the only realistic way to seriously decrease the budget is to cut services. Some services have been cut back, but it has to be done slowly, he said.

“That’s probably what we'll have to do,” said Steward, when asked if he will cut services. “But you can’t make big changes all at once.”