Driven primarily by wage and benefit increases along with a substantial commitment to improving local roads, a 2016-17 municipal budget requesting $41,190,942 — a $1.05 million (2.6 percent) increase — was proposed by the Board of Selectmen January 19.

This proposal, which also includes all school and municipal debt service on capital borrowing, will face possible further reductions as selectmen review several departments requesting the largest expenditures. The next selectmen’s budget session will take up the Public Works and Newtown Police Department’s budget on January 25; the Information Technology Department on January 28; and the Parks and Recreation Department on February 1.

During this week’s review, selectmen approved about 18 department spending plans, including the first selectmen’s office budget, as well as requests from the Human Resources Department, the tax collector, town clerk, the registrars of voters, the assessor, the finance director, and Fairfield Hills Authority.

According to First Selectman Pat Llodra, salary and benefits generated a $991,906 increase. Contractual increases of between 1.9 and 2.0 percent represent about $227,000 in spending; an added police contract step totals $64,000; and two new full-time Social Services Department staffers and a part-time assessor’s assistant will require $91,000 in salaries.

In addition, a ten percent increase to the town’s self-insured medical benefits fund will require an added $289,000 next year, driven primarily by medical claims experience. Finance Director Robert Tait told The Bee that such a drastic increase followed five years during which the average insurance cost increase averaged just two percent.

Mr Tait explained that new mortality rates being factored into the town’s pension plan are demanding an increase of 20 percent in that budget line, adding up to $193,000.

Mrs Llodra said that capital spending, primarily for road repairs, will increase $401,538.

“A plan was put in place to increase the capital road [budget] line by $250,000 each year until the total budget reaches $2 million,” the first selectman said. If all goes as planned, the town will reach that $2 million threshold in 2017.

While all these expenditures added up to about a five percent increase in spending, a significant drop in debt service of $663,112 has mitigated some of the costs that would otherwise be generated from taxation and other revenues. This drop occurred because a 1995 bond issue was retired this year.

Debt service costs, nonetheless, will still amount to $10,110,702.

Further review of the budget plan by the finance director showed a variety of ways to look at proposed spending and revenues. The detailed breakdowns of budget requests were presented by object and by function.

Increases for a number of nonunion town employees, Mr Tait said, amount to about $28,000, with the largest single increase going to the building inspector — in order to bring that salary in line with similarly-sized communities. Other increases are in store for the IT director, a grants administrator, and the economic development coordinator.

Mr Tait said projected revenue reductions resulting from state budget cuts are already factored into the overall budget request.