Selectmen Lean On

All Departments To Justify Flat-Line Budgets

By John Voket

Cultural Arts Commission members Jennifer Johnston and Debbie Aurelia came to the first session of budget deliberations with little doubt they could justify a modest $5,000 increase in the group’s budget from the current $2,000 to $7,000. While they promoted the increase as a nominal way to enhance community arts programming in what will likely be a $40 million townside budget, Republican Selectman Paul Mangiafico looked at the request from a different perspective.

The official — who pointed out later that his own daughter also serves on the cultural commission — took one look at the request and said, “That’s about a 350 percent increase.”

That seemed to represent the prevailing attitude as the Board of Selectmen moved through the first of four days of budget deliberations January 20. That session, which stretched until nearly 1 am, succeeded in trimming just $144,521 from the binder-sized document.

Throughout the evening, the board seemed to try and find a way to cut each department’s budget line below the current funding level to achieve as much as a further five percent reduction. Mr Mangiafico opened up the session by stating several points about financial challenges currently facing the local, state, and national economy, warning all departments that “we have to cut expenditures.”

While the cultural arts commissioner represented the first department and proportionately the largest percentage cut that evening, the selectmen also chose to be among the first to take a hit by cutting a secretary’s position which is currently unfilled, and reducing the selectmen’s budget for legal services.

Selectmen also trimmed their budget for meeting clerks’ compensation, office supplies, and copier charges, reflecting the past two years experience to achieve more than $15,000 in added savings.

Ms Aurelia, who as town clerk also represented her own department, faced a $10,000 reduction that would be reflected in a cut to her office’s special revenue fund earmarked for indexing records.

Registrars Karin Aurelia and LeReine Frampton were on hand to answer questions about their department’s requests. They ended up facing a $26,375 reduction including the elimination of a three percent wage increase for staff members, and $20,000 reserved for a possible special election for the Judge of Probate.

Ms Frampton explained that the state might allow the Probate Judge to be included in the regular ballot in November, depending on when age restrictions force current Probate Judge Margot Hall to retire.

By far the longest segment of Tuesday’s budget session came during deliberations for the town’s land use agency. Representatives George Bensen and Rob Sibley lobbied intensely to increase a staff position from part-time to full-time. Mr Sibley said the increased staff position would primarily handle implementation of a substantial unfunded state mandate related to aquifer protection.

The selectmen appeared to appreciate the situation, but nonetheless were committed to finding substantial savings to compensate for the increased salary and benefit package for the new full-timer being requested.

In the end, all parties carved a total of $42,000 in savings to justify the single position by reducing another part-time staff line; dues, subscriptions, and travel; open space indexing; legal services; and capital purchases.

“You’re fighting really hard for this one new salary,” Mr Mangiafico observed.

“Without that full-timer, we’re in a world of hurt,” Mr Sibley replied.

The only departments that escaped cuts Tuesday were the assessor’s office and the Economic and Community Development agency. Elizabeth Stocker, director of Economic and Community Development, came forward with a ten percent reduction over the current budget. This proposal was accepted with just a cursory review.

Assessor Chris Kelsey justified the roughly $10,000 increase in his proposed budget based on the added revenue his office is expected to develop as staff members become certified to handle duties in-house, instead of paying a premium to hire outside vendors (see related story).

Mr Tait had not released the latest confirmed revisions at press time.

The Newtown Bee plans to issue brief updates on the selectmen’s budget process through its conclusion next week on the newspaper’s website, www.newtownbee.com.

Finance Director Robert Tait said once the selectmen ratify the municipal side of the budget, and pass it to the Board of Finance for review January 27, he plans to post the entire package of revisions on the town website at newtown-ct.gov.