Mayor Proposes Budget Decrease

Little controversy emerged at the Town Council’s public hearing on the 2011-12 town budget Thursday, as might be expected for a budget with a tax decrease.

Only four persons spoke, all criticizing some aspect of the proposal, but three of them are involved in the mayoral campaign of Republican John Finkle, including Finkle himself, whose was hardly critical at all.

Mayor April Capone has proposed a $84,461,467 budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2011, which is a 1.41 percent decrease and about $1.2 million lower from the budget approved for the current year.

Finance Director Thomas Thompson said the mayor has also proposed a slight drop in the mill rate, from the present 26.84 mills to a new rate of 26.25 mills.

For a house with an assessed value of $200,000, that would lower the annual tax bill by $118, from $5,368 to $5,250.

(To figure out your car or house tax bill, multiply the assessed value times 0.02625.)

But to achieve that, Capone would cut the budget allocation for the fund balance, also known as the "rainy day fund," by more than $1.8 million.

She recommended a slight increase of just over a half of a percent for the Board of Education budget.

Residents will have an opportunity to speak out on the school budget at a separate public hearing on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Community Center, 91 Taylor Ave.

The public hearing Thursday was only for town department budgets, revenue and capital improvements.

Town Council Chairman James Doherty said the council would hold a budget workshop on Tuesday, April 19, and might be ready to vote on the 2011-12 town budget as early as next Thursday.

Donna Richo of Charnes Drive questioned the town’s $4 million bill for health insurance for 250 town employees. That comes to $12,000 per employee, which Richo felt is excessive.

Later, when Councilman Joseph Badamo noted that some of the budget items were mandated by contractual obligations, Richo rejected the idea that the Town Council has no control over it. "Don’t fund it," she said.

East Haven Republican Party Chairman Louis Crisci complained that copies of the budget were not available that morning in Town Hall. He said that violated the Town Charter and was cause for rescheduling the public hearing.

"How can the people comment on the budget if the budget isn’t available?" he said.

Crisci also claimed that the mayor’s budget underfunds the town’s workers compensation fund in order to plug the deficit. He said this was fiscally irresponsible.

Joe Zullo, who is Finkle’s campaign manager, downplayed the proposed tax cut. "I’m not seeing a decrease in taxes," he said.

Several other items were on the agenda along with the public hearing, most notably the sale of a 1.3-acre strip of land to Tweed Airport for $1.5 million. It and the other items all passed unanimously.

The other items were budget transfers of $96,000 for Fire Department overtime, $276,000 for Police Department overtime, and $52,600 for the sewer use, public water and natural gas utility accounts.

The Town Council also voted to authorize an application for a state Urban Renewal Development grant. Town officials said the money would be used as loans for emergency repairs for the homes of seniors and low-income people. The property owners will pay the loans back to the town when the properties are sold.