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02/23/2024 01:29 PMAn initial $51,440,042 budget proposal in Old Saybrook for 2024-’25 calls for an increase of $1,163,298 over the previous year’s spending, an increase of 2.31%.The proposal heads to a public hearing scheduled for Monday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Old Saybrook Middle School.
The total budget is made up of a town budget and an education budget. The proposed town budget is $ 21,634,724, an increase of $ 187,486 or .87%. The proposed education budget is $ 29,805,318, an increase of $975,812 or 3.38%.
According to Old Saybrook Finance Director Lee Ann Palladino, at the public hearing, the town and Board of Education will present their respective budgets and invite citizen input. From there, the Board of Finance (BOF) will begin deliberating on any changes to the budget.
In a budget overview document available on the town website, First Selectman Carl Fortuna stated that he had already cut $77,014 out of the initial town department budget requests.
Proposed capital projects—spending on items that last longer than a budget cycle, like vehicles or roof repairs— include a 14-seat van for youth and family services, cameras installed at park and recreation locations, new windows and clapboard on the mini-golf booth, resurfacing pickleball courts, a clivus bathroom at Maple Avenue, a shed on Maple Avenue, an awning on the Vicky Duffy Pavilion, and concrete placement at Saybrook Point.
Elsewhere in the document, Fortuna noted that things outside of the town’s control had put pressure on the proposed budget.
“While every year is a difficult budget year, there have been several outside factors that have affected and will continue to affect, Old Saybrook and other towns. Not only do additional state mandates drive our budget, but I can say with some certainty that geo-political factors have also driven increases in the budget. Inflation and supply chain issues have driven up the cost of labor and materials for everyone and, although supplies are more readily available, the base cost has risen,” Fortuna wrote.
“In other words, things cost more. I have examined both the expenditure and revenue side of the budget, and I believe responsible and sustainable decisions have been made, and I believe we still are providing our citizens with all they have come to expect,” he continued.