Highlights from the Public Hearing on Next Year’s Budget

Members of Town Council and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Graner stood to present next year’s proposed budget at a public hearing Monday.

The proposed spending plan of $50,136,531 is 1.91 percent more than this year’s $49,197,711 expenditures. The greatest increases in the general government’s budget come from a $245,000 in contractual raises among town employees and a $542,329 increase in health costs.

The plan also includes a $29,693,964 spending plan for the schools, which is half a percent more than this year’s $29,544,964 in expenses, according to school documents.

Next year's Board of Education budget is split up by:

• salary and benefits=$22,450,733
  
• instructional=$3,292,734
  
• operational=$3,950,496
  

Some of the cost drivers in the school’s budget are the required salary increases but that was greatly offset by heating costs, a grant for the Agri Science program and the elimination of the mid-day bus run due to the all-day kindergarten.

The revenue is not yet set but according to the latest information, Finance Committee Chair Mike France says we may see the tax rate increase by one percent, or .28 mils. One mil is equal to $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Last year, the Town Council was able to set the mil rate early because the revenues and grant amounts were declared early.

“This year is a wild card,” said France. “We don’t know what the state’s going to do.”

France said this year’s budget is stable and there was no need to cut services but if costs continue to rise and if the state’s trend to reduce funds to municipalities continues, “next year we’ll have to get creative.”

Next year’s expenditures aren’t the only thing scheduled to be on this spring’s ballot. Voters will also have the opportunity to vote on the $6.7 million proposed new police station. There’s a special Town Meeting on May 7 to talk about that project. Then, on May 20, there’s the annual Town Meeting on the budget and police station  the  at 7 p.m. at the Ledyard High School auditorium, which will adjourn to a referendum on May 21.