With minimal cuts and an eye on the governor's proposals adding to the burden of expense, Branford's Board of Finance (BOF) voted unanimously to recommend a 2017-18 town budget of $111.9 million on March 27. The budget now heads to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for committee review and a full RTM vote.

The BOF cut about $448,00 from town and school district proposed budgets to reach the $111.9 million bottom on March 27. The BOF's recommended budget would increase Branford's mill rate by 5.51 percent next year, rising to 28.92 from 27.41. Three percent of that increase has been built in to absorb the worst-case scenario of being hit with cuts and costs proposed by Gov. Dannel Malloy.

"A lot of this budget increase is being driven by the state. I believe we have an obligation and a responsibility to try to mitigate that impact [and] the increase that is being handed down to us from this really structural change in the state. We're being hit by both expenses and revenues," said First Selectman James B. Cosgrove. "But this is far from the end of the process. In fact we're probably at the midway point in the process."

The state won't finalize its budget process until the end of the legislative session in June (and possibly later than that); but the final date on which Branford can set its new mill rate, through the BOF, is June 1. Following state Appropriations Committee and Finance Committee meetings in April, the town could have a better sense of any changes to Gov. Malloy's proposed cuts and increases impacting Branford. Town leaders will continue to monitor changes and signals at the state level in order to make any adjustments to budget and mill rate in the coming weeks as they "continue the process," Cosgrove said. The process involves gathering the possible best information available from the state up to the point of finalizing the town budget and setting the mil rate; while also preparing for a worst-case scenario dealt by proposed state budget cuts and expenses. On March 20, Cosgrove and Finance Director Jim Finch presented the BOF with a proposed $112.4 million 2017-18 town budget with a 6.2 percent tax increase, signaling the direction the administration would take in its budget decision making process this year. See the story here

"I think we need to work, and we have to build confidence in the process and that the public has for the process; and we do that by making logical, rational and responsible decisions in crafting and adopting a budget," said Cosgrove. "We're going to be monitoring what happens at the state and making further decisions to ultimately mitigate the overall impact that is being handed down to us by the changes that are happening at the state level."

Part of the BOF's strategy when reviewing the proposed budget during three workshops in late March was to keep in mind the need to include "extraordinary measures" built in to absorb potential state increases and cuts; as once the BOF decides to cut money from the town budget, it cannot be restored to the budget by the RTM, said BOF chairman Joe Mooney.

In addition to bracing for the impact of the governor's proposed cuts to Branford's state municipal aid (Education Cost Sharing and Local Capital Improvement grants), the BOF's recommended budget builds in a potential, brand-new expense of $2.77 million Branford could have to pay to the state Teachers' Pension Fund. Under the governor's proposal, Branford and 137 other towns would be required, for the first time, to give one third of the annual contribution to help the state shore up the municipal teachers' pension fund.

Branford Finance Board Budget Adjustment Highlights:

In reviewing Branford Public School's proposed costs for next year, approved by the Board of Education (BOE) in Feburary (see the story here), BOF member Victor Cassella described it as a "lean budget."  On March 27, the BOF voted for an overall reduction of $23,201 to recommend a total 2017-18 town schools operating budget of $55,291,497, with no changes to the captial request plan. The BOE, by state statute, decides where to apply budget cuts made by the town.

On the town government side of the budget, the BOF reduced a requested $115,000 increase to hire and re-introduce the Deputy Police Chief position. Instead, the finance board voted to fund one-third of the amount or $38,400 to allow for a hire in last third of the 2017-18 fiscal year. The police commission needs to re-introduce the Deputy Chief rank to the police department to help transition leadership as the department's three senior members, including Chief Kevin Halloran, Captain Ray Dunbar and Captain Geoffrey Morgan, go into retirement within the next few years, beginning in 2020. Chief Halloran will retire in 2021.

In other budget areas, the BOF reduced General Government by $54,855 with majority coming out of Technology and $7,500 from Labor Relations. The Conservation Commission budget was reduced by $2,175. The BOE also voted to transfer out $286,324 from the town projects in the Capital Projects portion of the budget.