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03/30/2018 02:56 PMAhead of voting to send the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) recommended $112.18 million 2018-19 town budget with a .20 mill increase on March 26 (see related story), Branford's Board of Finance (BOF) met with town department heads and school district leaders during March workshops. The workshops resulted in several budget adjustments made by the BOF, including the following:
SCHOOL REDUCTIONS:
The BOF took a reduction of $109,000 from the schools budget which still allows the BOE to fund 100 percent of medical claims next year. The BOE also transferred out $17,500 from BOE capital projects. The final breakout of the BOF recommended BOE budget calls for an operating budget of $56,024,747; a Special Education budget of $754,476 and capital and lease budget of $483,620; for a total BOE budget of $57,262,843.
TOWN BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS:
On the town side of the budget, BOF adjustments include reducing the amount requested for tax refunds by $140,000 (by pushing to settle that amount in the current budget year); a $19,625 reduction in information tech (bringing the total number of police "Toughbook" vehicle laptop requests down to five); and a reduction of $66,922 in police wages and salaries (by funding a changing captain's position for 25 percent of the new fiscal year). The BOF reduced requested municipal health insurance premium funding by $240,000; with a new total of $6,008,654 still funding 100 percent of medical claims. The BOF adjusted down a requested $81,000 in police retirement pension funding (by increasing that pension contribution in the current year). In addition, an original $90,000 proposed for the volunteer fire fighters' pension fund was revised to $75,000 during BOF budget workshops for a savings of $15,000.
The BOF also removed a requested $304,686 to fund a fire department part-time medic shift out of the budget; while correspondingly adding back 90 percent of that number ($274,217) into budget's contingency, pending further discussion of the request, as BOF chairman Joseph Mooney explained on March 26.
In changes to town capital projects and leases, the BOF recommend reducing emergency services' radio upgrade sinking fund to $155,000 from a requested $175,000; reducing police cruisers request of $160,000 to $128,000 (enough to fund four police cruisers) and reducing the "Related Services" line item from by some $20,000. Additionally, the BOF decided to push out, until 2020, capital expenditures for emergency generators to be installed at the town's animal shelter (a reduction of $46,000) and counseling center (a $56,000 reduction). The BOF recommended capital and lease expenditures total $2,149,312.
The BOF also worked in some increases requested during the budget process. A total of $24,000 was added to the Solid Waste budget to provide for the town's upcoming "comingled" recycling container program. An additional $9,000 was included for the Public Works street lights project. Another $6,000 was included for additional BOF actuarial services. The BOF also allowed in $1,349 requested by the Willoughby Wallace Library due to an oversight regarding library staff costs. Additionally, the BOF accepted a Fiscal Services request to change a proposed 2.5 percent salary increase for Town Finance Director Jim Finch to 3.5 percent (the additional one percent of $1,272 makes for a total salary increase of $4,452).
In addition to recommending the $112.18 million budget to the RTM on March 26, the BOF also recommended to the RTM the following appropriations to various town and school fund budgets for fiscal year 2018-19: Open Space Fund, $59,283; Sewer Assessment Fund, $167,904; BOE Special Fund, $60,000; BOE Daycare Fund $665,250; Wastewater Treatment Plant Fund $4,384,295; Animal Control Fund $291,459 and Human Services Special Revenue Fund $1,18,432.
The BOF also recommended to the RTM a salary increase of 2.5 percent to the town's Registrars of Voters for each year of their two year-terms of office.