ESSEX

Town officials in Essex have moved to have a vote on the proposed budget totaling $27,638,662 for the 2024 -‘25 fiscal year to its annual meeting on Monday, May 13.

The $27.6 million proposed budget from the Board of Finance (BOF) is seeing a 4.21% increase in total town expenditures from the current year’s budget. The general town government share makes up approximately one-third of overall expenditures at a total of $9,660,797 for things such as services, employee salaries, and contracts. The other 66%, or $17,977,865, of the budget consists of monies for the Essex Board of Education (BOE) and the town’s share of the Region 4 School District budget. The BOE budget stands at a proposed $8,745,676 in expenditures.

Major Drivers

The BOF has outlined several major budget drivers contributing to the increased expenditures, including a 3.31% increase of $91,013 for employee salaries. This part of the budget makes up approximately 30% of the general town government budget and is seeing a requested total of $2,934,017 in expenditures for next year.

Two of the other key drivers in the budget are increases in employee health insurance of $35,921 and the town’s retirement plan/merit service of $29,695.

According to Finance Director Tracey Celentano, the increase for health insurance is to cover an additional town employee for next year who is eligible for insurance.

“Health insurance is actually a star [in the budget],” Celentano said. “The real increase is only 2%.”

Regarding the increase for merit service, Celentano said, “We approved to increase the multiplier for the fire department. That is primarily responsible [for the increase].”

As part of the budget, the BOF is proposing $30,500 to support shared animal control services per an inter-local agreement with Deep River and Chester which was recently approved by all three towns.

In the category of outside service contracts, there is a proposed increase of $44,413 for waste processing and trash removal. Celentano said this is to cover rising costs for hauling, processes like demolition and chipping, and tipping fees.

“Those costs increase dramatically,” she said.

There is also a proposed boost of $9,722 for “general software increases, the cost of doing business,” said Celentano.

Supporting Associated Services

The public safety portion of the budget is looking at a proposed cut of $9,958, which Celentano said is the result of the state lowering fringe benefits for resident state troopers, marking a trend coming down from Hartford in the last decade.

However, there is also a proposed increase of $13,717 for the Essex Fire Department to continue supporting its operation, similar to a $25,000 increase for the Essex Ambulance Association and $3,741 for the Ivoryton Library. Celentano said these follow a “general trend” of supporting outside non-profit organizations associated with the town. The biggest example is a request for $90,433 in total expenditures next year for the Tri-Town Youth and Services Bureau (TTYSB), marking the biggest increase among those groups.

This increased budget request comes after the recent expiration of a federal Drug Free Communities grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, according to TTYSB Executive Director Rob Bibbiani. The grant, which provided $125,000 a year for TTYSB over a ten year period, supported staff and programming “aimed at preventing or reducing youth substance abuse use, for which we have seen positive result in recent years,” Bibbiani told the Valley Courier.

Funds allocated in all three proposed budgets by Essex, Chester, and Deep River will maintain critical resources to continue TTYSB’s success in prevention and “positive youth development programming that has contributed to statistically significant reductions” in every substance category based on self - report surveys in grades 7 - 12, according to Bibbiani.

With regards to major decreases, there is one of $88,383, or 7.95%, in debt services. Celentano said the town’s bonding is “on the declining side of things” as they are paying off two major bonds, one of which is for a public safety complex study “to evaluate the needs and determine ideal locations for a new police department” in town.

Celentano said this effort was led by the town’s Capital Committee, noting that they have been working actively and were recognized by the Board of Selectmen in previous meetings.

“We are working to identify 20-year projects to keep debt flat,” said Celentano. “Our bonding is falling off, and the Capital Committee is identifying and meeting with department heads to make that level again.”

Mill Rate

Essex’s current mill rate is 22.59, which Celentano said is expected to decrease to a currently undetermined rate. The exact rate will be determined by the BOF following the adoption of the new budget.

The annual meeting for town electors to vote on the budget will be held at Essex Town Hall on May 13 at 7:30 p.m.