Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti presented a $120,692,371 budget proposal for 2015 – 2016 Monday (March 16) he said would see property taxes remain flat year-over-year.
The mayor’s proposal, which will now be reviewed by the city’s tax board and Aldermen, would see the Board of Education receive $69,345,000, nearly $3 million less than the school board requested.
The proposal now goes to the city’s Board of Apportionment and Taxation, which will hold a series of workshops in the coming weeks. That board will then deliver a recommendation to the city’s Aldermen, who have final say on the budget.
At A Glance
The city’s current budget totals $118,105,813.
Lauretti’s proposal represents an increase of $2,586,558, or 2.2 percent, in year-over-year spending.
But the mayor said the city’s mill rate of would remain at 22.31 — for a third straight year — if the budget he proposed Friday is passed by the Board of Aldermen.
In remarks to the city’s Aldermen and tax board, Lauretti lamented the sluggish economy but said things have been on the upswing locally, with the grand list growing 0.8 percent this year.
Click the play button on the video above to see the speech.
(Lauretti was wearing a tuxedo because he said he had to attend a formal dinner in Bridgeport afterward)
“We continue to receive inquiries from companies wishing to come to Shelton, and some, such as United Health Care and Unilever, now have a significant presence in Shelton, adding approximately 1,500 jobs between the two companies,” Lauretti said.
But that doesn’t mean spending can grow too much.
“You cannot increase your revenues by 1 percent or less and expect to increase spending by 5 to 6 percent more than last year without raising taxes,” Lauretti said.
“You all know my position: hold the line on taxes; look for creative ways to save money, and build a future based on those savings and attract new private firms willing to invest in Shelton,” he went on.
School Board ‘Playing Santa Claus’
The mayor did not single out any specific line items in his budget proposal, save one — the Board of Education.
Aldermen allocated $67,845,000 to the school district for 2014 – 2015.
Last month, the school board requested $72,050,033 for 2015 – 2016.
On Monday, Lauretti proposed $69,345,000, or $2,705,033 less than requested.
The mayor said a $1.5 million increase should be enough.
“Keep in mind that student enrollment continues to decline but the cost of services continues to go up,” Lauretti said, noting that since 2006, enrollment in Shelton schools has declined by more than 900.
“If the Board of Education wishes to continue to play Santa Claus with our money, then they will have to find ways to fund it within the funds allocated,” he went on.
The mayor said he works with school officials on ways to save money on things like services and utilities, and capital spending.
“However, with labor being their major expense, the Board of Education has to explain, among other things, how their labor costs continue to escalate when the enrollment continues to decline,” Lauretti said.
School Board Member Reacts
After Lauretti’s remarks, Arlene Liscinsky, the chair of the school board’s finance committee, said the school district will have to make some painful choices if Lauretti’s proposal is passed as is.
“Just do the math,” she said. “Our rollover for just salaries and benefits is $1,859,671. That’s just salaries and benefits. So $1.5 million’s not going to be able to cover that.”
Increased costs to special education and transportation pushed the school board’s costs even higher, she said.
She said the school board will take its case to the tax board and Aldermen.
The tax board has scheduled a workshop March 24 at 6 p.m. to discuss the school budget.
“We have to make our presentation and make our case and we’re going to go through the process,” Liscinsky said.
She took issue with Lauretti’s “Santa Claus” reference, saying it was unprofessional.
“We are elected to do what we need to do for the best interests not only of the district, but the students,” she said. “They’re elected to do something else. Hopefully we can come to a meeting of the minds as the process plays out.”
What Now?
The Board of Apportionment and Taxation will now hold a series of workshop meetings to discuss Lauretti’s proposal with department heads.
The schedule:
- March 23, 6 p.m.: Administrative Office, Employee Resources, Legislative, Board of Ethics, Public Employees Appeals Board, Elections, Probate Court, Legal, Drug & Alcohol Commission, and Public Health.
- March 23, 7 p.m.: Recreation, City/Town Clerk, Senior Center, Municipal Parking Authority, Youth Services Bureau.
- March 24, 6 p.m.: Board of Education
- March 31, 6 p.m.: Inlands/Wetlands, Economic Development Commission, Planning & Zoning, Conservation Commission, Zoning Appeals Board.
- March 31, 7 p.m.: Public Safety & Emergency Services, EMS Commission, Fire Marshal, Fire Department.
- April 1, 6 p.m.: Animal Control, Police Department, Library, Municipal Property Maintenance, Community Development, Building Department
- April 1, 7 p.m.: Engineering, Public Works Director, Tree Warden, Highways & Bridges, Road Repairs, Recycling Program, Sanitation
- April 6, 6 p.m.: Assessor, Tax Collector, Purchasing, Utilities, Management Information Services
- April 6, 7 p.m.: Accounting & Control, Elected/Appointed Officials, Public Risk Management, Debt Service, Revenue
- April 8, 6 p.m.: Miscellaneous, Vehicle Funds, Capital Spending, Outside Agency Contributions, Contingency Accounts.
From there, the tax board has until May 1 to submit a budget plan to the city’s Aldermen, per the city charter.
The Aldermen then have until May 31 to adopt a spending plan for 2015 – 2016.
