New Fairfield coaches demand 3% increase in spending

At just over $12 million, municipal operating expenditures account for nearly 91% of the total budget; while municipal medical insurance accounts for nearly 6% at $792,522.

The budget also includes a contribution of $304,239 to the capital and non-recurring fund and $137,826 to municipal debt service.

While New Fairfield’s municipal budget priorities continue to be the two-school construction project, economic development, infrastructure maintenance and long-term capital planning, more than $550,000 has been cut from operations municipal and capital and non-recurring budgets.

Without the cuts, the year-on-year budget increase would have been 7.45%, according to first manager Pat Del Monaco.

The two main areas of operating expense increases are utilities and public works, with year-over-year increases of $108,249 and $170,752, respectively.

“Our utility costs have gone up like everyone else at home,” Del Monaco said.

Much of the public works spending is trying to restore the city’s road paving money, which has been hit in recent budget cycles.

“That was one of the areas we went into to try and reduce the increase in the mileage rate, and that frankly hurt us,” Del Monaco said. “We have to bring this number back to its place, and the road will be long and slow.”

Instead of cutting road repair funding this time around, the council looked at some of the city’s existing capital accounts.

“I was looking for projects that were in the process of being closed – specifically some bridge and drainage projects over the last three years that have now come to an end or we know we may only have $5,000 left. work,” said Del Monaco.

Returning tens of thousands of dollars worth of projects to the unallocated, non-recurring capital fund would not only allow the city to use money from the fund to pay for projects in the city’s FY23 capital budget, a she said, but leave the fund balance higher than it was before.

“It’s important for us to keep trying to build up this inappropriate ceiling and this imbalance,” Del Monaco said.

Projects elected officials are seeking to pay for with capital and one-time funds include a $25,000 replacement for a 19-year-old health department vehicle, an $8,500 electronic ticketing system for the police department and an $8,500 ductless mini-partition for the Ball Pond Fire Station.

With more than $15,000 worth of public works capital projects available for closure — bringing the total balance of unrestricted funds to $88,461 — the selectors are also proposing to spend $18,100 on active shooting kits and new firearms. fire for the police department.

Del Monaco said those items are currently in the police’s capital budget, and that budget is $30,000 higher this year than it would be next year.

“We can fund these from the unsuitable capital and one-time fund and still leave $70,361 in the account,” Del Monaco said, noting that it would “avoid a hole in someone else’s cap.” and no”.

On the municipal operations side, the Board of Selectmen made cuts of $121,012.

One of the reductions was $5,000 from the animal control equipment and supplies account, which Del Monaco said the board felt comfortable doing because there is money in the “ the city’s dog fund, which can only be used for animal control equipment and supplies.

Although the board’s proposed spending plan falls short of the zero percent budget requested by the finance board, finance board member Cheryl Reedy said she commends elected officials for their time and effort on the proposed budget.

After years of wondering how they should close capital projects, consolidate funds and use them to cut budget costs, Reedy said she’s glad to see it happen — especially now, when the city is doing face a projected increase in the tax rate of more than 4% due to debt servicing alone.

While the effect of the board’s proposed budget on the tax rate isn’t fully known until late in the budget process, Del Monaco said one thing is certain: New Fairfield’s big slate has increased by about 2.7% this year, and it’s “really going”. to help” with respect to the rate per thousand.

“While that obviously doesn’t help our year-over-year increase (budget), you’ll see that difference in the share of the rate per mile associated with city operations,” she said.

Del Monaco said the final tax rate will depend on where all the components of the budget – operating expenses, medical insurance, capital and non-recurring, debt service, taxpayer and non-taxpayer income, large list and property tax adjustments – will fall.

“We could go up; another could fall,” she said. “To really get a sense of what the final factory rate increase will be, we kind of have to wait until the very end when all these different pieces come together.”

Like elected officials, the Board of Education did not present a zero increase budget. The board is instead asking for a 3.98% increase in spending for the 2022-23 school year.

Prior to going to a town meeting, both budgets will be presented to the Finance Council for consideration.