Selectmen: Tax hike under 2%; $100,000 school cut

Written by The Ridgefield Press
Friday, 09 March 2012 05:37

The selectmen have prepared budget proposals they believe will lead to a less than 2% tax increase next year.

In sessions Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week the selectmen agreed to send the finance board a $126.8 million 2012-13 town and school budget.

They did it with three moves this week:

• The selectmen voted unanimously Wednesday night for a $100,000 reduction to the school budget, lowering it to $81,269,000 — which is a “non-binding recommendation” to the Board of Finance.
• Board members on Tuesday night made $167,000 in cuts to the town departments budget, bringing the operating budget to $32,293,000.
• They agreed Tuesday night to saving $70,000 by putting off an increase to the senior citizens’ tax credit, which is currently $1,048 for each taxpayer 65 or older.

Based on Controller Kevin Redmond’s revenue projections — which the finance board may tinker with — the $126.8-million town and school budget the selectmen are recommending would need a 1.98% tax increase — with no use of money from the town’s $13 million “fund balance,” a kind of multi-year surplus.

However, there is talk of using some of that to make the tax increase even less.

The selectmen also sent the finance board a close to $4.4 million capital budget of equipment purchases and construction projects with long enough life to justify being paid for though borrowing in the bond market.

For more on the budget, see next Thursday’s Ridgefield Press.