After a review of Newtown's 2017-18 emergency services spending allocations, as well as a number of accounts tied to various town government agencies during the first of three planned budget sessions January 23, the Board of Selectmen concluded its business for the evening approving 18 of the 19 requests before them.

The Newtown Bee that several of Newtown's five fire company representatives on his board had not yet learned about proposed reductions, and wanted an opportunity to discuss them before going back before selectmen and possibly offering alternative reductions for consideration.

The only budget action that was postponed was for fire services. Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Rob Manna told

First Selectman Pat Llodra and Town Finance Director Robert Tait unveiled a 2017 municipal budget proposal to the Board of Selectmen January 17 requesting an overall 1.8 percent increase. The Board of Education crafts its own budget for funding school district operations and projects, but all town debt service, including borrowing costs for school capital projects, resides in the selectman's budget.

After the eventual review and possible adjustments by the Board of Finance and Legislative Council, voters will be called to endorse or reject each of the two spending requests in a split or bifurcated ballot. This year's budget referendum is Tuesday, April 25.

Mrs Llodra previously told Selectmen Will Rodgers and Herb Rosenthal that her major goals crafting next year's spending proposal focused on continuing support for road improvements; increased use of capital nonrecurring savings opportunities to put aside funds over a number of years to reduce the one-time cost of purchasing things like heavy equipment for the Highway Department or fire apparatus; addressing service needs and wage gaps; as well as addressing any shortfalls in the town pension accounts.

To address the topmost priorities next year, Mrs Llodra said she is requesting that $590,751 of the total $737,614 increase over the current year be devoted to those initiatives.

The first selectman said that union contracts and other benefit costs account for $357,401 in the proposal, and because fixed costs, contractual obligations, and funding priorities exceeded the 1.8 percent increase on the table, she and Finance Director Robert Tait were forced to offset those increases with reductions in other budget lines - decreasing them from this year's amount.

The first budget to come before selectmen last Monday was for police services. After a brief visit with Chief James Viadero and an affirmation that a vehicle replacement program was working well for his department, selectmen approved and moved the department's budget request for $7,072,307.

In short order, Selectman Rodgers motioned, and the board unanimously approved:

*$1,146,972 for Emergency Communications

*$171,246 for local Animal Control services

*$59,184 for Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR)

*$45,477 to underwrite Newtown's contribution for the Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar Authorities. These budgets are supplemented by other towns that share the lakefronts, and provide seasonal law enforcement patrols and environmental services like weed eradication.

*$10,839 for Northwest Safety Communications, a separate emergency agency that handles communications between Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and destination hospitals when transporting patients.

*$270,000 for Newtown's 24-hour resident paramedic program, which is staffed by Danbury Ambulance paramedics who staff and respond around the clock from the local ambulance headquarters at Fairfield Hills.

*$250 for membership in another emergency medical services agency, NW Connecticut EMS Council.

Moving to various municipal budget requests, selectmen unanimously approved:

*$445,040 for the Building Department;

*$374,054 for the Tax Collector;

*$7,200 for Newtown's contribution for regional Probate Court services;

*321073 for the Town Clerk;

*$137,050 for the Registrars of Voters;

*$313,112 for the Assessor's Office;

*$522,562 for the Finance Office;

*$10,000 to cover anticipated unemployment contributions;

*$187,241 for local OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) non-pension contributions to a trust that underwrites qualified town retiree medical benefits; and

*$1,175,500 to cover the town's municipal insurance coverage.

Mr Tait notified selectmen that this insurance contribution is based on an estimation provided by The Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA), the state's leading provider of municipal risk financing and risk management services.

Selectmen will consider further budget requests during meetings planned for Monday, January 30, and February 6. By charter, the selectmen must present an approved town budget request to the finance board for consideration by February 14.