Essex Selectmen Begin Budget Workshops

ESSEX - The Board of Selectmen has started work on the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget, beginning on Jan. 18 with the first of its scheduled budget workshops. This year the selectmen requested all departments, boards, and commissions and most external agencies personally present their budget requests.

The requests, which First Selectman Norman Needleman emphasized "are a first look," show a projected $6,874,000 town budget, a 3.65 percent increase, or $242,000, when compared to the present year's budget.

"That figure represents increases of $131,000 in our capital and sinking funds and a $37,000 increase in pension fund payments," he said.

The proposal includes a two percent salary increase for non-union town employees, and an estimated eight percent increase in health insurance costs. The eight percent figure is being used as a placeholder until the insurer can provide better numbers. All three selectmen chose to waive the two percent increase in their pay.

There is a request for only one additional employee, a full-time worker in the public works department. Last year this position was cut from the budget. Needleman wants to restore it.

"We have always had five employees plus a director in that department," Needleman explained, "We believe we need this fifth position. We have been using temporary, part-time personnel."

Needleman has also started work on a five-year capital budget that he hopes will be completed in time for presentation along with the town budget.

"Pieces of a capital plan exist. Right now they are in different areas, such as the Fire Department and Park & Recreation. A capital plan for roads and sidewalk repair exists, too. We need to pull all these together, see where we are, and then make some judgments."

In this area, Needleman has two concerns. The first is the present state of the Town Hall building, "which we have to make usable and sustainable for the next 20 years." The second is the need for a new roof at the elementary school.

"Right now there are several different roofs being patched together. We are doing a good job of keeping our finger in the dike, but we'll need to address this soon," Needlman said.

Presentations from town departments and reviews of budget requests for the Sanitary Waste Commission and the Water Pollution Control Authority were reviewed during the first workshop.

"We are nowhere close to done," Needleman said.

There are additional workshops scheduled and they are open to the public.