Mayor Mark Lauretti Tuesday presented a $111.9 million budget proposal that would lower taxes while increasing spending for the Board of Education.
The proposal, which must now go before the tax board and the Board of Aldermen, represents about $538,000 more in spending than the current year — about a 4 percent increase.
But because of a $837,000 increase in the city’s grand list, Lauretti said he was able to cut the tax rate from the current 18.61 mills to 18.57 mills.
That means if the budget is approved as proposed, a taxpayer with a home assessed at $200,000 will pay about $8 less in taxes next year.
“I’m sure that Shelton taxpayers will be helped as they find themselves burdened with the call from our governor for shared sacrifice,” Lauretti said.
The budget proposal is the first step in the budget process. The city’s tax board will now review the spending plan over the next few months.
Then the budget proposal will move to the Board of Aldermen, which will ultimately vote on the proposal.
The figures can change at any point during the process, Lauretti acknowledged in his address to the Board of Aldermen and Board of Apportionment and Taxation.
School Spending
The Board of Education asked for $64.96 million in 2011-12 — about a $1.86 million increase from the district’s current $63.1 million budget.
Lauretti allocated $63.7 million for the Board of Education — a $600,000 increase. Last year, the final school increase was only $95,000.
The budget proposal also allocates money in the city portion of the budget to pay for unemployment costs for the Board of Education.
Lauretti included $250,000 in the proposal, according to the budget book passed out after his address.
The city proposed a similar line item last year, in response to Board of Education concerns that the 2010 – 2011 budget proposal would mean layoffs. Last year’s budget meant the loss of about 120 jobs.
Superintendent Freeman Burr said he hadn’t been able to go through the new proposal, but based on talks he had with Lauretti, he believes the unemployment allocation will likely cover the remaining unemployment costs for the district.
“Obviously we are pleased the city is again putting money on the unemployment side,” Burr said. “I’m pleased with the starting point.”
He said the district will re-examine budgets based on the $600,000 increase proposed.
“It’s short of what the board was hoping for,” Burr said. “We understand this is where we’re starting. Now we’ll go back and look at the needs of the schools, and take the $600,000 as a baseline.”
Other Spending
Lauretti said the rest of the proposal is in line with the current budget, allowing “small increases based on contractual increases.”
Here are some department allocations in the proposal:
Recreation: $1.46 million | down from $1.49 million
Senior Center: $311,878 | up from $303,266
Fire Marshal: $305,592 | up from $289,949
Fire Deparment: $775,930 | up from $758,326
Police Department: $6.52 million | up from $6.25 million
Building Department: $233,689 | down from $251,659
Highways and Bridges: $2.8 million | up from $2.79 million
