Following an April 3 presentation and public hearing on the proposed $52.64 million Town Budget carrying a 4.4 percent tax hike, North Branford's Town Council met April 4 to discuss ways to arrive at a potentially flat mill rate to essentially zero out a tax increase next year.

"Our ultimate goal is to get as close to zero as possible," Deputy Mayor Rose Marie Angeloni told Finance Director Anthony Esposito at the Town Council's  brief April 4 budget deliberation meeting.

The council cancelled an April 5 budget meeting to give Esposito time to work with municipal department heads to make adjustments and incorporate suggestions made by the council on April 4 (see "Council Suggests Adjustments" below).  

The council will reconvene to review and discuss the proposed budget and any adjustments on Tues. April 10 at 7 p.m. in Town Council chambers. The agenda calls for budget deliberations of General Government Services, Capital Improvement Plan, Debt Service and Education; finalizing the 2018-19 budget; ratifying the Town Council Recommended Budget and approval of the Advisory Budget Referendum Question. The question goes to the polls the second Tuesday in May, by Town Charter.

As it stood on April 4, North Branford's proposed 2018-19 budget carries a proposed mill rate increase of 1.46 mills. That would raise the current 33.51 mill rate to 34.97 mills, for a 4.4 percent tax increase. North Branford's mill rate increase last year (2017-18) totaled 1.53 mills.

The budget included a $32.38 million request from the Board of Education (BOE) to run the town's schools and meet contractual and other obligations; an increase of 4.48 percent over current the school budget. The municipal side of the budget sought $15.35 million, an increase of 3.18 percent year-to-year, including a $1.2 million capital improvement plan equating to a one mill increase. See more on what's in the proposed budget here

COUNCIL SUGGESTS ADJUSTMENTS:

To chop away at the proposed increase, the council wants to use a projected 2017 Grand List increase of $336,000, together with anticipated debt service (bonding) cost savings next year, to generate over $500,000 in revenue to help underwrite proposed budget expenses without increasing taxation next year.  As a side note, on April 4 the Town Council learned the slight increase in the 2017 Grand List, originally projected at an additional $360,000 in revenue, had to be adjusted down by approximately $24,000 due to the town recently finalizing 2017 tax appeals.

The council also is leaning toward less than 100 percent funding of a proposed $1.2 million capital projects plan. Originally, some $800,000 of the funding was set to come from revenue and $400,000 from state aid and other grants. The council is looking at instead funding a lesser percentage – one suggested number was funding only 65 percent of the capital request -- to help cut back costs. In addition, the council recommended on April 4 transferring $180,000 from the current budget's contingency fund toward capital expenses in the new budget to help offset capital costs.

On April 4, Eposito was asked by the council to go to back to Town Department heads to rework budget requests to find more reductions which will decrease the proposed mill rate back to flat, if possible.

The Town Council didn't discuss the BOE budget; but could make further adjustments to the schools' bottom line when the budget workshop reconvenes on April 10.

When discussing the municipal side of the budget on April 4, the council didn't break out discussions by town department as in the past. Angeloni did specify some additions and changes the council would like to support as part of the 2018-19 Town Budget, including adding in one Grade A Police Officer, keeping two Public Works laborers, keeping an Economic Development part-time Coordinator position and adding back a seasonal Park and Recreation Parks Monitor while deleting a part-time Breakfast Cook. The council also recommended funding the risk corridor by 100% (approximately $135,000).

BUDGET FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC:

One night earlier, the Town Council invited the public to hear budget presentations from Town Manager Michael Paulhus and North Branford Public Schools Superintendent Scott Schoonmaker and Schools Finance and Personnel Director Don Winnicki, followed by a public hearing on the budget.

Adding in town, schools, debt service costs and capital requests, the proposed 2018-19 Town Budget seeks an annual spending increase of $2,081,942 or 4.1 percent, said Town Manager Michael Paulhus.

Paulhus described the town's effort to balance budget requests with a continuing downward trend in state-provided revenue to the town. The town has received increasingly less in state revenue support in the last five years, trending down by over $2 million. In 2014-15, state revenue earmarked for North Branford was $9,058,221. For 2018-19 a total of $7,056,180 in state revenue is anticipated to be received by North Branford.

Each year, Paulhus also shares a slide at the budget presentation showing residents a snapshot of what the projected mill rate increase will cost in new tax fees to a resident living in a typical North Branford raised ranch or colonial-style home. Based on the 2017 Grand List assessment (70 percent of market value), a resident with a home assessed at $241,850 would see an increase of $353 in annual taxes (a total tax bill of $8,457) and a resident with a home assessed at $199,700 would see an increase of $292 (total tax bill of $6,984).

Click on the "Related Story" (posted at upper left) for details on the BOE Budget shared on April 3.

About 40 members of the public came out to the April 3 meeting at North Branford Intermediate School. Of those, seven had comments for the Town Council. One asked the Town Council to "flat line" the mill rate increase, with two other residents also asking for no additional increases. Two residents supported the budget as presented, another spoke in favor of keeping the schools budget intact and one suggested assessing families with children to help defray the costs of additional school expenses.

Two of the speakers also said they felt it was important for voters to turn out at the annual Budget Advisory Referendum Question, which requires a turnout of 15 percent of the electorate for voting results to be actionable by Town Council.  Voters answer the recommended budget referendum question in one of three ways: by either voting the Town Council's recommended budget is acceptable; by rejecting it for being too high, or by rejecting it for being too low.

Longtime North Branford resident and municipal volunteer Cliff Potter said it was important for residents to recognize it costs money to deliver the quality of life residents receive. He added that, as someone who regularly attends town meetings, volunteers like the Town Council are constantly working to balance municipal, educational and residential needs, services and growth of the town against any burden placed on residents.

"You might have to tighten your belt and pay a little bit more in taxes to live in this town... if you want to stay, you may have to pay," said Potter, adding if the town were to cut services to save money, "...you're gonna get what you didn't pay for."