Llodra Delivers Selectmen Budget To Finance Board

By Eliza Hallabeck

After multiple members of the public spoke before the Board of Finance during a brief public hearing, First Selectman Pat Llodra presented the proposed town budget during the finance board’s Thursday, February 23, meeting.

The total Board of Selectman 2012-13 municipal budget request is $38,278,353, which represents a .95 percent increase over the current year, not including debt services. With debt services included, Mrs Llodra said the budget represents a 1.85 percent increase.

Some values used to create the 2012-13 spending plan, Mrs Llodra said, include maintaining a safe community, offering recreational options for all citizens, keeping on top of zoning and safety issues to maintain Newtown’s appearance, supporting Newtown’s schools, and more.

“All of those core values are reflected in this budget,” said Mrs Llodra; she then detailed the differences in the budget from last year.

“We reviewed a number of budget documents and selected this model,” Mrs Llodra said.

The new style of providing the budget gives each department in the municipal budget four sections. The first section, for example, offers a description of what the department does.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mrs Llodra outlined some areas within her board’s proposed budget.

“The whole municipal services have increased by $264,817, which is the .95 percent increase the Board of Selectmen recommended to you,” said Mrs Llodra.

Mrs Llodra also pointed out wages, salaries, and fringe benefits make up 56 percent of the municipal budget, not including debt services. The first selectman went on to say that debt services, when included, represent 26 percent of the whole proposed budget.

All union employees, Mrs Llodra said, have salaried increases in the 2012-13 fiscal year, while nonunion employees have another year without salary increases. Nonunion employees, Mrs Llodra later said, received a one percent increase in 2011, but have not received an increase since.

To a question from Board of Finance Chairman John Kortze, Finance Director Robert Tait said awarding nonunion employees a one percent increase would cost roughly $20,000.

When asked, Mrs Llodra said she did not include an increase in salaries for nonunion employees, because she does not want to encourage spending money the town does not have.

While presenting the budget proposal, Mrs Llodra said when possible the town looks for areas to save money.

“I am very concerned,” Mrs Llodra said. “We’ve been very conservative in our replacement of pool vehicles.”

Several town vehicles, she said, are in bad shape. One vehicle has been in use for 285,000 miles, another vehicle has a rotted out floor, and a third vehicle was totaled in the snow last year when a police officer used the vehicle instead of a patrol car, Mrs Llodra said.

Mrs Llodra said the plan is to use the town’s capital nonrecurring fund to help replace some of the vehicles.

One area in the budget effected by continuing to use the vehicles, Mrs Llodra said is repairs.

“The longer we stretch the life of the equipment, the longer the repair list grows,” said the first selectman.

After taking questions from different board members, Mrs Llodra and Mr Tait agreed to compile more information for the finance board, including different scenarios that would bring the proposed budget down to a zero percent increase.

While she agreed to provide the scenarios, Mrs Llodra made it clear she would not support those options. With 56 percent of the budget locked in salaries and wages, Mrs Llodra said trimming more may make Newtown a place the town does not want it to be.

“I have brought you what I think is a very responsible budget,” said Mrs Llodra. “I don’t think I could do better. I really don’t.”

The municipal budget review will continue on March 1, followed by more education budget deliberation on Monday, March 5. The final finance board budget meeting is set for Wednesday, March 14.

Public Hearing

Multiple residents took the opportunity to speak before the Board of Finance during the designated public hearing portion of the meeting.

Resident Lisa Wallace, like the other speakers at the meeting, said she is in favor of implementing full-day kindergarten in the school district. She said other members of the Middle Gate community are also in favor of supporting the move to full-day kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year.

As passed by the Board of Education, the 2012-13 spending plan, which includes implementing full-day kindergarten, is $70,055,794, a 3.07 percent increase from the current spending package.

“Please support the current education budget,” resident Barb Sibley said when she spoke before the Board of Finance, “and the inclusion of the full-day kindergarten program.

The public hearing portion of the meeting lasted roughly 20 minutes.