Mayor to Present Proposed Town Budget March 29

The town's budget process is about to shift into high gear, as Joseph Maturo Jr will present his final proposed 2012-13 town budget on March 29.

The presentation will take place next Thursday at the , 35 Wheelbarrow Road, starting at 7 p.m.

Maturo must submit his budget to the town council by March 31 as mandated by the .

Mayor's Budget Numbers

According to the mayor's initial proposed budget — which is posted in two parts in the gallery that accompanies this article — the mayor has put forward a total town budget proposal of $87,008,944, which would represent a 2.03 percent increase of $1,733,274 over .

This includes a proposed $44,800,000 board of education budget, which would be a $500,000 increase of 1.13 percent.

And $42,208,944 in appropriations for the town side of the 2012-13 budget, which would be a $1,233,274 or 3.01 percent increase.

Also included in the mayor's proposal is a $1.2 million contribution from the town's fund balance.

Town Council Review

Town Council members will begin their review of the proposed budget, with their first budget workshop scheduled for April 5 (the budget workshop schedule is posted in the gallery that accompanies this article).

The council will then hold their public hearing on the general government portion of the budget on April 17 and the public hearing on the board of education portion of the budget April 19.

According to this year's budget workshop schedule, the Town Council is set to approve the town's final budget on April 23. The town charter mandates the council set the final budget by April 28.

Board of Finance Review

Over the last several days, the Board of Finance has been conducting their own review of the mayor's budget proposal.

The finance board cannot make cuts or changes in budget proposals, but members do pass along their recommendations to the mayor prior to its finalization.

East Haven Politics blogger Ed Foley has posted his video recordings of the board's March 20 and March 14 budget workshops.

(Editor's Note: The time and place of the mayor's presentation was added to the article at 9:30 a.m.)