The Budget So Far: A $2.1 Million Reduction

The Finance Committee has trimmed a total of $2,162,511 from Mayor Daryl Finizio’s proposed budget in its meetings with department heads, and councilors will be looking to find an additional $3 million in savings when the committee meets on Monday.

Finizio’s represents an increase in the mill rate—the tax per $1,000 of assessed property value—by 4.97 to 30.28 mills. According to information provided by Kevin Cavanagh, a volunteer consultant to the City Council, the Finance Committee’s recommendations bring the increase down to 3.66 mills to 28.97 mills.

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The committee is hoping to make still further reductions to the proposed increase, which currently represents a 14.5 percent increase in the mill rate. Council President Michael Passero, who chairs the committee, said an additional $3 million would have to be pared from the mayor’s budget proposal to bring the increase down to half a mill.

“The goal we’ve set ourselves is to cut the mayor’s proposed tax increase to a two percent increase,” he said.

The reductions to Finizio’s requests include:

• $504,000 from the budget. Passero said Public Works Director Timothy Hanser made $316,000 in reductions following a committee request to try to bring expenses down by $400,000. The committee also cut one proposed $104,400 deputy director position, removed $75,000 from the operating and supplies account, and reduced storm-related overtime by $10,000
• $423,366 from debt service as a result of debt restructuring by Finance Director Jeff Smith
• $413,467 from the . During discussions, Fire Chief Ron Samul said a $290,000 SAFER grant might have been double-counted and that
• $385,522 from the . The committee over last year’s budget on the expectation that extra Education Cost Sharing funds will be available under Gov. Dannel Malloy’s education reform proposal. Councilors also invited the Board of Education to transfer the district’s business office expenses to the city budget, which the board
• $240,000 from the . The committee voted to as part of this reduction, one day after Finizio .

The only budget increases that have been granted are an extra $5,000 for the and an extra $186,254 for the . Passero said the Recreation Department increase represents funds for occasional payroll, which covers temporary workers who oversee programs, since that money was mistakenly omitted from the budget request.

Passero said the Finance Department will also report to the committee what promises have been made under collective bargaining agreements on issues such as salaries and retirements. These figures will let the councilors know what expenditures they are obligated to make for municipal employees.

The Finance Committee meets at 4 p.m. on Monday at City Hall to finalize their budget recommendations. The full City Council meets at 7 p.m., and will vote on an appropriation ordinance to send to committee.

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