Groton struggles to find ways to cut budget
Groton – The tax rate increase for the coming fiscal year is still unknown, but it will be nowhere near zero, a town councilor said Monday.
Many in the community have called for no increase in taxes, but Groton faces a $6.4 million shortfall for the coming fiscal year due to declining revenue. That shortfall could grow even larger as state budget proposals could cut the education aid to the town as much as another $4.6 million.
Before further state cuts, Groton was looking at a potential tax rate of 22.68 mills, an increase of 1.73 mills, because of revenue losses. A mill is equal to $3.7 million. To get to a budget with no tax hike, the town would have to cut $6.4 million.
The Town Council cut $809,995 from the budget as of April 13, and was expected to finish budget deliberations Monday. Councilors trimmed about another $100,000 early Monday night.
Finance Director Cindy Landry said she wouldn’t know the impact of Monday evening's cuts on the tax rate until Wednesday, when the council meets next to adopt a budget, set a tentative tax rate and formally send the budget forward to Representative Town Meeting.
“Remember what the signal was,” Councilor Dean Antipas told his colleagues. “It was, ‘Don’t raise taxes at all.’ Not, ‘Don’t raise taxes exorbitantly but taxing us a lot is OK. Don’t raise taxes at all.’ The fact is that we’re not going to get anywhere near a zero increase.”
Antipas and other councilors also said the proposed $195 million school construction project would not be approved by voters if taxes increase because of the budget.
Antipas made the comments Monday evening as Superintendent Michael Graner and school board members met with councilors to discuss school funding. Councilors had asked the board to consider whether it could drop its budget below a zero increase. The school board voted unanimously against further cuts.
Councilors voted 5-4 to support the $76.7 million budget the board of education asked for. Councilors Diane Barber, Karen Morton, Gregory Grim and Bonnie Nault supported a lower figure.
School board member Lee White said elementary classrooms already have 20 to 25 children.
“We literally have no place to go,” she said.
Both Gov. Dannel Malloy and the legislature's appropriations committee approach to the state budget have indicated deep cuts to education funding, Graner said.
“I think the board is going to work in solidarity with the town council to fight these cuts and if and when these cuts come, the board will do its share to shoulder the burden,” he said.
Republican state legislators submitted their own budget proposal on Monday that would largely protect municipal aid for education but would cap borrowing, which pays for projects including school construction. Groton is seeking $141 million from the state to build one new middle school and two elementary schools.
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