Date: Fri 12-Mar-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Legislative-Council-tax-rate

Full Text:

Council Cuts $1 Million From School Budget Plan

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Legislative Council took a big step toward reducing next year's tax rate

increase Wednesday with a significant reduction to the Board of Education's

proposed budget.

In an 8-4 vote, the council cut just over $1 million from the school board's

requested budget increase of $3.3 million. Ed Lucas, Melissa Pilchard, Pierre

Rochman, Donald Studley, Peggy Baiad, Karen Blawie and John Kortze voted in

favor of the reduction. Joe Borst, Tim Holian, Lisa Schwartz and Brian White

voted against it.

For now, the school board's budget has been reduced from $35.6 million to

$34.5 million. However, the council can still reopen the issue for discussion

as was attempted last year. The budget will also be discussed again later this

month at a March 30 public hearing.

This reduction helps lower what would have been a 2.1 mill increase in the tax

rate. Another $700,000 was expected to be trimmed from the Public Works budget

on Thursday, dropping the tax rate increase to about one mill. The council

believes anything higher than a one mill increase simply will not fly with the

voters.

But some residents who spoke Wednesday night did not echo that sentiment. Many

of them wanted to see the budget remain intact. They said they moved to

Newtown because of the quality of its schools and are willing to pay to

maintain that quality.

"If we want to keep our teachers, we need to put our money where our mouth

is," noted Jill Beaudrey of 36 Queen Street. "There are plenty of other towns

that are ready and willing to take our good teachers. Don't let that happen."

Some, like Andrea Spencer of 8 Grand Place, believe the budget should be given

to the voters -- untouched. Others requested an advisory question be added to

the ballot allowing voters to explain why they voted for or against the

budget. That would not be possible at this time, according to council chairman

Pierre Rochman. It would require action by the Charter Revision Commission to

amend the charter.

Cheryl Clark of 3 Pheasant Ridge also spoke in favor of the budget. She

reminded the council that the budget increases are due to the town's lengthy

building boom.

"Development got us here and the taxpayers are the ones being impacted," she

said.

Mrs Clark suggested the town enact an impact fee on developers. Afterall, she

said, they are the ones getting wealthy.

One speaker suggested that in the interest of equity, the town seriously

consider providing tax breaks for senior citizens.

Council member Joe Borst made a motion to fund the school board the entire

$35.6 million, which was seconded by Lisa Schwartz. However, Melissa Pilchard

amended the motion to $34.5 and was backed by the majority of the council.

"We are in deep, deep indebtedness and that's without spending any more

money," she said. "We went from $3 million of debt to $60 million of debt.

Now, there is another $60 million that we're looking at," she said.

The $1.1 million reduction of the proposed school budget was determined during

last week's meeting of the council's finance committee. The committee is

concerned with the amount of money being spent, especially with a proposed 5/6

school and an overhaul of the town's municipal space still coming down the

pike.

"We felt that we can not raise the bar to what most in this room would like,"

Mrs Pilchard said.

Finance committee chairman said there is a "large divergence" between the

amount of money the town is spending and the amount it is taking in in revenue

-- even with the significant growth in the grand list the past few years. That

growth will not continue, he said.

Some residents have urged the council to use its surplus money to offset the

cost in education. The council has opted to cut the budget instead.

"Whenever you add surplus it raises the bar on what you need to add the

following year," Mr Kortze said.

Mrs Schwartz argued that cutting a million dollars for schools will prevent

the school board from addressing its "fixed costs," which includes salaries,

insurance, benefits, transportation, etc.

Mrs Borst's motion would have given the school board an 11.2 percent increase.

The new figure ups the district's increased funding by 7.9 percent.

Prior to the meeting, Board of Education chairperson Amy Dent spoke on behalf

of the school's proposal. As she pointed out, 71 percent of the increase is

for salaries and benefits. The remaining 29 percent pays for contractual and

non-contractual costs. Much of the budget is due to the unprecedented growth

the town has experienced. The district expects an additional 230 students next

year.