Preston — After a nearly two-hour public hearing Thursday, the Board of Finance approved the town, school and miscellaneous budgets, totaling $15.35 million and agreed to use $592,000 of the town’s surplus fund to slightly lower the proposed tax rate to 23 mills.

The current tax rate is 23.14 mills.

Finance board members briefly discussed cutting the proposed $10.85 million school budget based on the state minimum requirement but said there was no overwhelming call to cut the school budget.

The board voted 4-2, with members Andrew Bilodeau and Kenneth Zachem voting against the proposed budget.

The board unanimously approved a $3.35 million town government budget cutting $125,000. Most of that cut was done by moving $120,000 in the town’s required matching share in three applications for federal environmental assessment grants.

Finance board members agreed the funding could be appropriated at a later date through a town meeting and referendum if the town obtains the grants to study cleanup at the former Norwich Hospital.

The board also briefly discussed whether the proposed 3 percent raises across the board for town employees — who are not unionized — should be kept intact, especially with school salaries rising about 2 percent. Zachem said it was too late in the budget process to “take apart” the salaries distributed throughout the budget to evaluate individual pay levels for employees.

“We need to do that in January,” board Chairman Norman Gauthier said.

The board voted in full agreement, however, to remove the proposed $5,275 from the Parks and Recreation Department budget to pay for removing Canada geese from Preston Community Park this summer.

Board members said the money should be considered as a town issue rather than a parks issue, and the funding could be added to the budget, perhaps to the Public Works Department, when an exact plan is finalized.

During the public hearing, resident Michele Bilodeau said she objected to a plan to kill the geese, and First Selectman Robert Congdon called any plan to kill the geese would be a “last resort” option. He said town officials are considering using border collies or other methods to scare off the geese.

During the hearing, residents questioned several specific expenses in the school and town budgets, including whether the school board should have used $70,000 in anticipated savings in this year’s budget to start a universal preschool program in January.

Resident Pat Biggins called the move “fiscally irresponsible” to use budget savings before knowing whether there will be other unanticipated expenses this year.

The Board of Education’s requested budget included funding to retain the preschool program going forward, with two classes next year. The school budget also included funding to add two teaching assistants for the kindergarten classes.

Superintendent John Welch said the assistants could be important in the coming year, with 41 kindergarten students already registered and at least several more expected. With large classes and higher learning expectations for kindergarten students, he would recommend keeping the aides even if class sizes are smaller in the future.

The budgets will be sent to town meeting at 7:30 p.m. May 7 at Preston Veterans’ Memorial School.

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