Tax bills will increase about 8.4 percent next year, under a city budget proposal the Board of Aldermen will consider Tuesday.
The budget proposal calls for about $58.64 million in spending — which is a $3.68 million, or 6.7 percent, increase over current spending.
The proposal was issued by the Board of Aldermen finance subcommittee, and will be reviewed by the full board at its meeting Tuesday. At that same meeting, the Board of Aldermen is expected to forward the proposal to the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, which also meets Tuesday.
If approved, the tax rate would be 27.36 mills, compared to the current 25.25 mills.
That means a house assessed at $150,000 will receive a tax bill of $4,104 — an increase of $316.50 — if the proposed budget is passed.
Board of Aldermen President Steve Blume, who chairs is a member of the board’s finance subcommittee, said he understands the increase will be hard for people to afford.
“It’s very difficult,” Blume said. “And the sewer bills still have to go out. This is terrible and we’re getting less money from Hartford.”
The tax rate in Ansonia has stayed the same — at 25.25 mills — for the past three years.
“We held the line for all these years, without having big layoffs, without doing the things that other towns do,” Blume said.
The Board of Aldermen is expected to approve the proposal at its meeting Tuesday and pass it along to the Board of Apportionment and Taxation for its review.
From there, Blume said, BOAT will meet with each department and go line-by-line through the proposal to see if more cuts can be made. Blume said BOAT will likely trim the budget before approving it.
Some increase is likely, but “I don’t think it will stay like it is here,” Blume said.
Proposed Increases
Here are some of the reason’s Blume gave for increases in several departments. Blume said the spending increases are mostly from contractual pay raises.
Education – $1.25 million increase
The Board of Education has asked for $26.8 million, 4.9 percent more than this year, of which most of the increase is from contractual salary and cost increases.
The Board of Aldermen opted to leave the education budget as presented by the school district, and let BOAT decide whether to cut any money out.
“That’s a hard one to do because of state mandates,” Blume said. “They’re under the microscope now because of the state.”
Police – $73,189 increase
The police department’s budget in proposed to increase because contractual pay raises and a new training sergeant position being added, Blume said. There are the same number of employees as last year, because the department will lose one patrol officer when the position is created.
“This is a good move by the chief,” Blume said. “We’re brining the budget back to where it’s supposed to be.”
Chief Kevin Hale said the department used to have six sergeants, but never refilled one of the positions after a retirement a couple years ago. Hale said adding the sergeant will help cut down on overtime hours the department uses.
Ansonia Rescue and Medical Services – $67,935 increase
The ambulance corps has seen a drop in the number of volunteers, so the department requested more money to pay part-time staff to cover shifts throughout the day, Blume said.
Contingency – $337,541 increase
The Board of Aldermen is proposing an increase in the Board of Apportionment and Taxation Budget, which is used for contingency expenses, because it wasn’t increased last year, Blume said. The contingency is almost gone, after unexpected snow storms caused overtime for public works employees and a series of serious crime over the summer required overtime from the police department.
Other
Blume said the board has increased the elections budget by about $16,000, in anticipation of a primary election. And the assessors office has about $51,000 more budgeted to save up to pay for a revaluation in three years, Blume said.
