After Adding Patrol Cars—

Council Approves $84.4 Million Budget

By Jan Howard

The Legislative Council followed the recommendation of its finance committee on Wednesday when it voted to support the Board of Finance approved budget with the exception of the restoration of $78,800 for police patrol cars.

About 60 residents and town and school officials listened as the Legislative Council voted 11 to 1 to approve a proposed fiscal year 2004-05 budget of $84,438,722, including $31,320,265 for town government and $53,118,457 for the schools, a 6.4 percent increase over the current year’s budget of $79,737,162. Richard Recht cast the opposing vote.

If approved at the April 27 referendum, the budget would result in an increase of 1.5 mills in the tax rate, from 23.4 to 24.9 mills.

The council members also voted unanimously to approve revenue figures of $15,623,238 with $68,815,484 to be raised by taxation.

The council voted unanimously for the restoration of the $78,800 for patrol cars. Board of Finance Chairman John Kortze agreed because at the time the reduction was made his board did not have all the facts because of the absence of First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and Finance Director Ben Spragg.

At $7 per family, Fran Pennarola said, “The money is well spent.”

Board of Finance Chairman John Kortze, during public participation, urged the council members to pass the budget as presented, noting it is a “responsible budget.” He also spoke in favor of the addition his board made for open space funding.

“An additional $75,000 in bonding and debt service is a good way to start the next 300 years,” he said.

Despite pleas by Dan Cruson of the Tercentennial Commission, Philip Kotch of the Library Board of Trustees, and parents and school personnel, the council declined to restore the funds the Board of Finance had cut from their budgets.

During public participation, Mr Cruson told council members that the 200th and 250th anniversaries of the town in 1905 and 1955 had “both enjoyed some funding from the town.” He said the bulk of the Tercentennial Commission’s budget would be through donations.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal noted he would ask the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and the Legislative Council to transfer $25,000 from the town’s contingency fund to the Tercentennial Commission for seed money for fundraising efforts.

Mr Kotch urged the restoration of the $50,000 the Board of Finance cut from the library budget, which reduced it to $16,300 less than it received in the current year’s budget.

“The board feels it is essential to continue the program and the services the library offers,” Mr Kotch said. “We won’t reach our goal, but we’ll be very close.”

He explained that fixed expenses for personnel salaries, benefits, and social security and library operations had risen by 3 and 16 percent respectively for a total of $38,879.

He also provided the council with information regarding restricted and unrestricted funds; items it has purchased and plans to purchase from its capital reserve fund, which was established for the maintenance of the building; and donations made by The Friends of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

Mr Kotch said the friends’ funds are earmarked for specific items. These donations, he said, “takes a very good library and makes it better.”

He said, “When people come to town, there are three things they want to see, the flagpole, Edmond Town Hall, and the library. Our responsibility as trustees is to continue the library looking as good as it is.”

Joe DiCandido, the council’s finance board chairman, said a committee vote to restore $16,000 to the library failed with a 3 to 3 vote.

Mr Kortze, in his remarks to the council, said, “nobody refutes the beauty and importance of the library.” However, he said, in formulating the budget, his board looked at audit reports, not just of the library, but others, such as the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, which was reduced by $25,000.

In regard to the library, he said his board “thought it had other resources to draw from.”

Mr Kotch and library Director Janet Woycik have argued that many of these funding sources are restricted to specific uses and are not able to be used for library operations.

Council member Joe Borst’s motion to restore $50,000 to the budget failed for lack of a second; an amendment to restore $16,300 failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority.

Will Rodgers, temporarily turning the chairing of the meeting to Vice Chairman Tim Holian, said, “I feel rather strongly the Board of Finance hit the nail on the head.”

 The library needs to disclose more fully what it receives from other entities, he noted. He said there are other organizations that use donations for operational funding.

Council member Peggy Baiad said, while she had several calls in support of the library, “Tough times require tough decisions.”

Support For The Schools

Board of Education Chairman Elaine McClure said the Board of Education stands as a group behind its budget. Member Tom Gissen noted the town’s growth rate of single-family homes and the increased demands it puts on the schools.

Mr Gissen said the town has a choice: to fund to support and maintain the school system or to not fund it and allow degradation of the school system.

He said, in regard to the number of school staff, is variable. “We have more children per teacher than our economic reference group and the state.”

Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff said he prepared a fiscally responsible budget “that addresses needs and will pass.”

However, he noted, if enrollment is more than the projected 106 new students for next year, “the budget is not adequate.”

The quality of the school system is at stake, Dr Pitkoff warned. “The future direction of Newtown is in your hands,” he told council members. “I trust you to do the right thing for the town, school, and the future.”

At Monday’s finance committee meeting, an attempt by Mr Recht to further reduce the budget by $500,000 failed for lack of a second.

On Wednesday, he said, “My goal is to submit a budget that will pass on the first submission.” He noted that last year 2,500 voters rejected a budget that was 1.5 mills less than the proposed 2004-05 budget. He said the school budget fails to pass his “reasonableness test” regarding staffing.

Council member Joe Hemingway noted, however, that, “The feeling in town is very different this year. He said he would support an addition to the school budget, “but I don’t feel there is support to add.”

Michael Iassogna said, in regard to staffing, the Board of Education “made adequate explanation based on different positions at different schools.” He said because of variables in the number of incoming students as well as a possible additional cut of $160,000 by the state, he was comfortable in approving the budget as recommended by the Board of Finance.

If the incoming students are closer to 106 and some funding is received, Mr Iassogna challenged the Board of Education to try to return some money as surplus.

Mr Borst and Ms Baiad also spoke in favor of the Board of Finance recommendation for the schools. Mr Borst noted the need for teachers at Sandy Hook School to reduce class size.

Ms Baiad termed the school budget “fiscally conservative” and that Dr Pitkoff and the Board of Education “had done a good job.

“The Board of Finance did what we would have done,” Ms Baiad said. “If it doesn’t pass, there may be deeper cuts.”