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Essex Budget with 0.08% Increase Goes to Voters May 14

Essex’s proposed fiscal year 2018-’19 budget, presented at the public hearing last week at an increase of $19,991 or 0.08 percent over the current budget, faced no opposition from the audience of Essex residents. The $24,078,267 town and schools spending proposal goes next to voters at the annual Budget Town Meeting on Monday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Essex Town Hall.

Director of Finance Kelly Sterner presented the town government budget of $8,076,003, showing an increase of $180,394 or 2.28 percent. Essex Board of Education Chairman Lon Seidman presented the schools budget of $16,022,255, showing a decrease of $160,403 or 0.99 percent.

Officials fielded just two questions after the presentation. A resident asked about declining enrollment, which is the leading cause of the decrease in the school budget, and whether other towns are facing the same issue.

Essex First Selectman Norman Needleman said that 160 towns of 169 are facing declining enrollment.

“You see this big gap, but I am very confident that that is going to turn around…because people want to come back to the quality education we offer,” he said.

“I think that our job as stewards of this town and of the education that we provide in this town, is to maintain the quality and make us the most attractive of communities for them to come back to,” Needleman continued.

The second question referred to the drug testing section of the fringe benefit listed in the town budget.

Sterner clarified that this section covers specific categories of employees, including public works, pump out boat workers, and the police force, where random drug testing may occur for those operating town vehicles or equipment.

“On the town side and on the Board of Education side we continue to try to do more and hold the line on spending,” Needlman said in closing the hearing. “I do believe that on the infrastructure side both in town and at the school we’ve accomplished almost everything we needed to...I like to say that we get a lot done and we do it at high quality and low dollars. ‘We’re so cheap we squeak’—that’s really the better way to put it.”

Voters registered in Essex and taxpayers who are U.S. citizens aged 18 or older with $1,000 or more in assessed property value are eligible to vote in the Monday, May 14 annual Town Budget Meeting.