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03/29/2022 12:00 AMWith a public hearing over the proposed budget coming up on Wednesday, April 6, the Harbor News took a closer look at what the town is proposing. The public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
Overall
The Town Council unanimously voted March 2 to send a proposed combined budget of $59,706,741 (a $1,326,978 or 2.06 percent increase) to a public hearing on April 6.
The proposed town budget is $21,917,505 (a $564,758 or 2.64 percent increase) and the proposed education budget is $37,789,236 (a $642,220 or 1.73 percent increase).
Under the proposed budget, the mill rate would increase 0.20 mills or 0.67 percent to 30.10 mills. Town Manager Karl Kilduff said that this would increase the average Clinton taxpayer’s annual bill by $43.68.
Kilduff explained that the difference between the budget increase and the tax rate is due to growth in the Grand List and the appropriation of money in the fund balance to pay for capital projects; $250,000 from the fund balance has been appropriated to reduce the tax rate increase as well as an applied fund balance of $1,345,000 to fund significant capital projects.
At the public hearing, speakers can voice their opinions for or against either the education or town budget. Immediately following the public hearing, the Town Council will hold a special meeting at which it can make any last changes to either the education or town budget before sending the budget to referendum in May.
The Town Budget
The town side of the budget is proposed at $21,917,505 (a $564,758 or 2.64 percent increase). The proposed budget will eliminate no staffing positions or services provided by the town, according to Kilduff.
“There are no service cuts proposed in the budget. The budget carries forward implementation of initiative from the last budget. It continues funding to get a senior citizen program moving forward as well as economic development outreach to businesses,” said Kilduff.
The budget does add one position: a fulltime town planner. The position is currently proposed to be budgeted at $139,600 which Kilduff said would include the salary, payroll tax, and benefits for the position. The inclusion of a fulltime town planner is something the town has seriously contemplated for a number of years. In 2019 the approved budget included the position, but it was never filled. The position was not included in the 2020 and 2021 proposed budgets.
Kilduff also explained some of the capital projects proposed in the budget on the town side.
“Some of the highlights on the town side of the capital budget are funding for fire department equipment replacement. This is a savings account to help pay for fire trucks. Radio placement is continued from last year. This project will update and replace the radio system used by Police, Fire, EMS and Public Works [departments] and the dispatch function,” said Kilduff.
The budget also carries funding for road paving. Two capital investments are also proposed for the library—one to preserve the roof of the building and one to repair and repave the parking lot, according to Kilduff.
Kilduff also reiterated that the numbers in the proposed budget are subject to change.
“Finally, the assumptions we relied on build the budget are always changing. As opportunities arise to reduce the budget with better assumed numbers, I will bring those forward to the council to change the budget as appropriate,” said Kilduff.
The Education Budget
The proposed education budget is $37,789,236 (a $642,220 or 1.73 percent increase). Superintendent of Schools Maryann O’Donnell said under the proposed budget, no new staff position would be hired and none would be eliminated.
“This budget supports the needs of our students and staff as we continue on a path of recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. It includes funding to ensure appropriate class sizes to meet student needs, intervention supports to address learning gaps, and continued staffing to support student mental health. In addition, there is funding within the budget for curriculum development and to purchase new curriculum materials in English, early literacy, and math,” O’Donnell said.
As for the increase in the budget, O’Donnell said that the capital plan and contractual raises were responsible for the increase.
“The total proposed budget increase is influenced by an increase in operating expenses and in capital as compared to last year. If you are asking about the increase in operating costs, it is primarily due to contractual salary increases, increases in out-of-district tuition costs, liability and property insurance due to cybersecurity protection, and investment in curriculum development and student curriculum materials,” said O’Donnell.
Proposed capital plans on the education side include “refurbishing the Joel gym floor, installing a new P.A. system at Eliot, computer replacements, Joel parking lot resealing and painting, custodial/maintenance equipment replacement, and electrical power upgrades at Joel,” according to O’Donnell.
“This Board of Education budget supports the social-emotional and academic learning supports that are necessary for our students to recover, accelerate their learning, and thrive. The Board of Education’s approved 2022-’23 operating budget funds the instructional staffing, materials, programs, and extracurricular needs of our students and staff, while leveraging grant funding to minimize the operational request and the financial impact on the local community,” said O’Donnell.
“The Clinton Board of Education has worked diligently to make quality budget decisions and to ensure that the process of budget preparation, development, and consideration has been thorough and responsive to the budget parameters set by the Town Council and communicated to the board,” she added.
The Process
Though both the town and education budgets comprise the total budget, when voters get to approve or deny the budget at a referendum in May, they will vote on the town and education budgets separately.
Since voters cast their vote for each budget separately, that means it is possible for voters to pass one budget and reject the other in the same referendum.
If one or both of the budgets fail, it is revised by the Town Council immediately following the vote. Another public hearing is held the following week and another referendum is held the week after the public hearing.