Date: Fri 28-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-budget-Blawie

Full Text:

Council Committee Recommends Budget Cuts

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal's plans to hire a third assistant in his office

were foiled Tuesday night when the Legislative Council's administrative

committee voted to cut it out of the budget.

Of course, the committee can only make budget recommendations. All final

budget votes are made by the full council, which then passes the proposal on

to the taxpayers in an April referendum.

Voting to cut the $27,000 for the proposed position out of the selectmen's

budget were Karen Blawie, chairman, Brian White and Melissa Pilchard. Will

Rodgers voted against the cut.

Youth Services had requested $75,000 from the town, but the committee Tuesday

trimmed that figure down to $60,000. The Board of Selectmen had previously cut

the request down to $67,500.

The health district also had its request cut from $223,000 to the $217,000 it

received last year.

The Economic Development Commission's $8,400 proposal was trimmed to $6,000.

The committee also voted in favor of giving Town Clerk Cindy Curtis Simon a

three percent raise.

The administrative committee also decided to shift $73,000 for police

computers back into the police department's account. Mrs Blawie said keeping

it there will help the town better understand where money is being spent.

A vote on the Cyrenius Booth Library's $600,000 request, up 29 percent, was

held off until next week, Mrs Blawie said.