The Seymour Board of Finance on Monday trimmed a little more than $500,000 from the town and school budget proposals that failed at referendum last week.
A new referendum is scheduled for May 17.
The director of public works position would be eliminated, under the budget suggested by the finance board. It still needs to be approved by Selectmen.
The finance board began Monday night’s meeting by trimming the proposed school budget by just under $300,000, to a new figure of $30,698,027.
First Selectman Kurt Miller said about $117,000 of that figure is from savings on insurance, and that other line items in the school budget could be scaled back by the Board of Education.
On the town side of the budget, the finance board cut next year’s proposed spending by nearly $240,000, for a new budget proposal that amounts to $21,356,366.
Combined, the new bottom line is $52,054,303. If approved by voters it would result in a mill rate of 33.42, so a person with a house assessed at $200,000 would pay $6,684 in property taxes.
Asked after the meeting if enough was cut out of the budgets for voters to approve them next week, Trish Danka, the finance board chairman, said: “I think that we have to continue keeping certain things in the budget to move the town forward and get people the change that they want to see.”
She said that’s exactly why she proposed the most significant cut to the town budget made Monday night: $90,000 from the Public Works Department, with a view to eliminating the position of Public Works Director. The job is currently held by Dennis Rozum, whose salary amounts to $69,859 in the current year.
The finance board voted 4 – 2 on Danka’s proposal, which removed $30,000 from the department’s overtime account for snow plowing and $60,000 from its plowing materials budget — while also asking Selectmen to consider eliminating the public works director’s position.
Dave Bitso and Heather McDaniel voted no, and Danka, William Sawicki, John Stelma, and Ed Wasikowski voted yes.
Danka said she felt comfortable making the motion because she thinks a proposed reorganization of Town Hall departments will still give the public works department the oversight it needs, and a mild winter meant savings in this year’s public works spending.
Both Danka and Miller said during Monday’s meeting the reorganization is something that residents have told them is needed in town.
Under the plan, Anthony Caserta, the town’s assistant director of finance, would become the town’s director of operations and would oversee several departments, public works among them.
“The intent is we need to open the discussion on whether we require so many management positions in the town,” Danka said. “We’re going to sacrifice this money here so we can continue moving forward elsewhere.”
Wayne Finkle, a member of the Board of Public Works who attended Monday night’s meeting, said that while he would hate to see anyone lose his job, the department has been able to function in the past with only a foreman having direct, on-site supervision.
“We functioned with a foreman before, and with Tony’s new position, his position and the director’s position are going to be the same basically,” Finkle said. “We don’t need both.
“I would prefer that position be removed and not lose any more of our operating budget,” Finkle added. “That hurts us more, the cuts in the materials and the overtime.”
Miller said that if voters approve the budget, he can call a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen to discuss the finance board’s recommendation. The votes of five of the town’s seven selectmen would be needed to eliminate the position of public works director, he said.
If voters don’t approve the budget, Miller said, more than just one position will see the chopping block.
“If this budget fails, I will be coming back with positions and programs being cut,” the First Selectman said.
Besides the $90,000 cut from public works, other reductions to the town side of the budget Monday included $30,000 for a new police vehicle, $33,500 in proposals from the Economic Development Commission, and savings in insurance and early retirement programs.
