LINK:
Spreadsheet of Selectmen's Proposed Adjustments To Department Requests
The Board of Selectmen this week approved and passed to the Board of Finance a proposed 2010-11 town-side budget that represents a 0.81 percent increase over the approved 2009 spending plan. If endorsed with no further action, the selectmen's recommended budget that would take effect July 1, 2010, represents a $1,107,257 increase over the current amended budget for a total of $37,703,044.
This takes into account that the approved budget was reduced by $805,979 in January 2010 to reflect a decrease in revenues in the 2009 - 2010 fiscal cycle. According to First Selectman Pat Llodra, when various anticipated revenues came up short in the current fiscal cycle, the BOS (and subsequently the finance board and council) approved an amended budget reflecting that difference.
"We took all the revenue reductions from the BOS side, versus splitting it between BOS and BOE, because we still don't know the potential BOE losses in the excess cost grant for 2009 cycle," Mrs Llodra said, "but it's expected to be between $400,000 - $600,000."
The first selectman said her board also used the reduced 2009 - 2010 numbers for the anticipated revenues budget line for 2010-11, and built department budgets on the amended numbers.
While the adopted budget for '09 - '10 was $37,401,766, the amended budget for '09-'10 is 36,595,787 or a difference of $805,979, the first selectman said, adding that the percentage difference between the amended 09-10, and proposed '10 -'11 BOS budget is 3.0 percent.
Following the passage of the selectmen's side of the budget, Mrs Llodra said she was pleased with the outcome, and proud of her board's due diligence reviewing and adjusting agency and department requests.
"Our outcome was to deliver a budget that represents the needs of the entire community, ensuring the services residents expect are maintained and delivered despite current local, state, and national economic challenges," Mrs Llodra told
The Newtown Bee
.
"The taxpayers of Newtown expect us to be conservative and careful with their dollars," Mrs Llodra said. She added that tough times also provide an opportunity, when embraced, to "rethink the use of public resources."
If eventually approved by voters as part of an overall spending package that also includes the school district — whose budget proposal is still under consideration — one of the more evident results would be the closure of the local landfill two days a week. Currently, the local dump is closed on Sunday.
During deliberations on that proposed adjustment, Selectman Will Rodgers said that such a move would provide "demonstrative evidence of belt-tightening, which could force closer examination of the budget by voters."
Among other higher-profile adjustments selectmen made was zeroing-out any spending to add vehicles or other motorized equipment to the town's motor pool. The exception would be a $130,000 allocation, which represents the second half of a tiered appropriation to purchase a new grader.
Public Works Director Fred Hurley said the town's existing operating grader, one of two the town once owned, is so old that the expense of frequent repairs is being compounded by the cost of having to rent a replacement grader, which is paid for by the hour.
Mr Hurley illustrated the frequency of its use, saying as recently as the late January rain storms, the town's grader was pressed into service releveling and eliminating deeply rutted dirt roads that were left nearly impassable from the storm.
In regard to the elimination of the motor pool budget, he added that while the freeze on replacements would likely result in increased repair costs, selectmen understood and reacted by increasing the vehicle maintenance budget line to compensate.
Mr Hurley said that the budget line increase for road improvements might appear to be substantial, but the proposal for 2010-11 comes without approximately $800,000 in one-time federal stimulus money the town expects to get for road repairs being completed now.
He added that while a public building maintenance department reflects an increase to cover a "one-and-a-half position" increase in staff, it would still represent a savings to taxpayers in the long run because the custodians would exclusively cover the Municipal Center at Fairfield Hills, eliminating the need to staff the smaller Edmond Town Hall facility and former temporary municipal offices housed on Peck's Lane.
The final proposed selectmen's budget, which will be taken up by the Board of Finance beginning next week, reflects nearly $4 million in reductions from the total proposed by town department heads and agency officials who receive Newtown public monies, including cuts and benefit adjustments to agencies such as Kevin's Community Center, the Parent Connection, and the Children's Adventure Center.
Among other substantial cuts to achieve the final selectmen's proposal were:
$3,031,552 from the Public Works budget
$104,000 resulting in a zero line for the motor pool
$60,000 representing half the Newtown Police Department's request for patrol vehicle replacements
$20,000 from the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers
$108,328 from various Parks & Recreation Department requests for shop equipment, improvements at the Oakview Field, and a band shelter for fair weather concerts.
$12,953 from the library budget
$16,350 from the town clerk, in part representing a cut of one part-time summer staff position
$4,400 from Newtown Youth & Family Services
$10,000 from Kevin's Community Center — representing about 20 percent of its request
$15,000 from the landfill, representing a second day closure each week
$5,500 or nearly 75 percent of the Cultural Arts Commission request
In keeping with the trend to ask town workers and agencies to cover more of their own expenses, the town is also asking for an $11,118 increase in contributions to cover staff health benefits for the Youth & Family Services agency, the Health District, and the Children's Adventure Center.