Finance Board Cuts $420K After Public Hearing, Surprising Officials

After a public hearing on the proposed 2013-14 budget, the Board of Finance (BOF) moved 4-2 at a meeting last week to reduce the total request by $420,000 to an even $59 million, a move that caught some board members off guard.

The reduction in the spending request brings the increase over 2012-13 to 3.93 percent — from 4.67 percent — and, coupled with additions in expected revenue, would equal an approximate 3.5 percent rise in the mill rate.

The $420,000 came from cuts to the following areas:

• $100,000 from Education Capital, removing the language lab and gym floor
• $120,000 from Education Operating
• $55,000 from Municipal Capital, removing $2,000 from Library Technology, $17,000 from Town IT, $16,000 for an air condition at the Police Department and $20,000 for furniture and carpeting at Town Hall
• $60,000 from Police overtime and wages
• $35,000 allocated for changes to the Land Use Department
• $20,000 for an additional IT position
• An additional $5,000 in miscellaneous adjustments

Finance Board Chairman Jerry Friedrich, who brought the proposal forward, said he did so because, in his opinion, the 4.67 percent increase put forward at the public hearing was too high. He said he wanted to reopen discussion on an amendment he suggested at the board’s meeting prior to the hearing for further consideration.

“Basically we had no discussion except on the [4.67 percent increase] motion and briefly on the amendment I made,” Friedrich said.

“The size and scope of the changes was a total surprise,” BOF member Ron Jaffe said, stating that he was “disappointed” with the order of events more than the final decision.

“We went to the town with a proposed budget that was in my mind an honest budget… A budget that was not only honest, but lean,” Jaffe said. “I know that [the increase] was also a stretch — certainly more than anybody would like,” he added, though he noted there are additional issues this year, including increased school security and contributions toward future costs like maintenance and pensions.

“My disappointment is that we very publicly agreed to something and presented it to the town… and they went a different way than what we heard from the public,” he said, asserting that the comments at the hearing were “by and large fairly even.”

“We should go to public hearing with something we plan to send to a vote unless we hear a big hue and cry,” Jaffe said. “My problem has nothing to do with the bottom line, this is a process problem.”

Friedrich said he understands that point of view and admitted the change “was a little unusual,” but that the Town Charter and Finance bylaws “don’t say you only have to use those comments to make a change,” and he felt more discussion was needed.

“These marginal cuts at the end, they really have an effect on services,” First Selectman Bill Davidson said, as potential savings have largely been cut from every line at this point in the process.

Davidson cited reductions to the police line as an example, stating that expected retirements were already taken into account and the overtime budget was already too low.

“The result is they lowered the police line to the point where we might not be able to hire the second SRO,” School Resource Officer, he said.

Friedrich asserted that his “intent was to keep money in the budget for SROs,” and that the budget proposed at 3.93 percent is sufficient to support the two new hires.

The BOF could make additional changes before the Annual Town Meeting — set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7 in the high school auditorium — however a special meeting would have to be called by the chairman. Friedrich said Sunday evening he does not intent to call another meeting “unless there’s a huge outcry.”