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04/10/2023 04:11 PMA proposed $33.3 million budget is heading to a hearing for public comment on Wednesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. The proposal calls for a 4.5% increase in overall spending.
At a meeting on March 29, the Board of Finance (BOF) approved a total proposed budget of $33,348,689, a $1,441,083 or 4.5% increase over the current fiscal year budget. The board also approved a capital plan with $2,190,240 worth of projects slated for fiscal year 2023-’24.
At the public hearing on April 19, residents can speak in favor of or against the proposed budgets. Questions and comments about the budget can be sent ahead of time to townbudget@westbrookct.us.
“I really hope we have a strong turnout at the hearing,” BOF Chairman Paul Winch said.
Winch said the proposed budget includes some additional expenses, such as creating a new facilities manager position and expanding hours to the social services department. Winch pointed to rising utility costs and medical benefits as significant drivers of the increase in the budget this year, but added that he felt there was a silver lining for the town.
“In the last 18 months, the town did settle several negotiations that should fix our costs for the next few years. It’s not glamorous, but it’s important and should help the town going forward,” Winch said.
As for plans in the capital budget, Winch said that money was allocated for a new police cruiser, new radars, and new tasers. Money was also set aside for items like new radios for the fire department and long-term projects like paving, sidewalks, dredging, and land conservation projects.
Of the dredging and land conservation, Winch said, “We put money in that every year so that we can purchase land for town and public use, and then dredging is important because obviously our harbor is very popular, and we want to keep that running.”
Past and Next Steps
Following the public hearing, the budget will be sent to a town meeting on May 15 where voters can approve the budget. While voters will approve or veto the entire $33,348,689, that sum comprises a town budget of $13,934,569 and an education budget of $19,414,120.
Originally, the proposed education budget was $75,000 higher, but the BOF decided to cut that amount from the proposed education budget at the March 29 meeting. After a lengthy discussion during which the board agreed to cut $75,000, rather than the originally proposed $155,000 out of a fear that cutting too much would impact programming or a teacher’s job, Winch was the lone BOF member to vote against the cut. BOF member Chris Ehlert, who had originally proposed the cut, accused Winch of having a conflict of interest regarding the proposed education budget because his sister Tara Winch is the principal at Westbrook High School.
When asked about the matter, Winch declined to comment on the accusation, but provided his rationale for voting against the cut.
Winch said that having sat through Board of Education budget discussions earlier in the process and providing his input months previously, he felt it unfair to vote against a budget that he had already supported.
“However, there was a fair argument presented that made an argument for the cut, and people voted for it. The process worked,” Winch said.
While most area towns conduct their budget approvals via a referendum, Westbrook has mainly used a town meeting format for budget approval over the last seven years. One of the benefits of doing a town meeting vote is that the town can publish a citizen’s voting guide for the budget.
The citizen’s guide is intended to inform voters about the budget and the town’s finances prior to voting. State guidance directs that the town remain neutral in presenting the budget details in any summary document presented to the voters.
Winch said that the citizen’s guide will be sent out after the public hearing and before the referendum. More information on the proposed budget is available at www.westbrookct.us.