North Stonington — A breakdown in cooperation between members of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance continued Monday night, when several members of the finance board walked out of a hearing the selectmen called to present budget cuts to the public.

Board of Finance member Emil Pavlovics, speaking on behalf of his full board, asked for the selectmen to call a town meeting to explain the budget cuts and then hold a referendum, rather than holding a hearing on the budget outside of that process, which he said was "at least legally questionable."

"The Board of Finance has readied a presentation, and looks forward to giving it, should the Board of Selectmen ever deign to call a town meeting and referendum," Pavlovics read from a prepared statement.

He then left the meeting, alongside fellow members Mustapha Ratib and Carolyn Howell.

The finance board sparred with First Selectman Shawn Murphy and Selectman Nick Mullane at a budget meeting in June over the cuts, after voters rejected both the general government and education budgets in a June 21 referendum.

During the June 29 meeting finance board members approved the budget and ultimately decided a hearing would be unnecessary.

Murphy has argued that the cuts will "negatively impact services and progress" in town, while the finance board contends that the selectmen may request additional appropriations if needed, saying the cuts were necessary to get the budget passed.

Once the Board of Finance approves a budget, it must then go to town meeting and a referendum.

Even though the finance board adopted the cuts June 29, Murphy said he received no official communication about it until later in July.

Murphy then asked the selectmen to schedule Monday's hearing on the cuts, noting that a town meeting wouldn't give the finance board the opportunity to make changes to its adopted budget, which cut $208,405 from proposed general government spending and $135,977 from proposed education spending.

At the meeting Monday, with a few dozen residents in attendence, Murphy presented a highlighted list of the finance board's cuts that he opposes — including cuts to the town attorney and tribal recognition accounts, ambulance association and the highway department, which included labor, highway and tree maintenance, contractual services and two capital items: a proposed jet shed and mini-excavator.

The packet included the town's ordinance to oppose any land annexation by area tribes.

Also included was a map of North Stonington with a highlighted overlay bound by Route 2 and Route 201, which he said was land that the Pawcatuck Eastern Pequots, now part of The Historic Eastern Pequot Tribe, hoped to take into federal trust years ago.

He said the tribe had filed an additional appeal for federal recognition.

The Mashantucket Pequots also had hoped to take land in North Stonington into trust in the 1990s.

"We need to follow up on this and take appropriate action. ... we're one of the towns that takes the lead," Murphy said.

He also raised concerns about whether there would be enough money for snow removal in the overtime budget, said the transfer station may need to be closed on Saturdays, and that the decadeslong practice of grading, maintaining and plowing about a dozen private roads using town staff — a practice he and the other selectmen have said is inconsistent — could come to an end.

Residents of Patricia Avenue, a private road on Blue Lake, were present and at previous meetings have vocally opposed ending the road maintenance.

Murphy suggested that the cuts could be reinstated using half of the money set aside for the new Center for Emergency Services, the payments for which will come due next year.

However members of the finance board have said that would interfere with the plan to keep taxes consistent by scheduling payments for the emergency services building immediately after debt for a previous school building project was paid off.

"I have a personal problem taking money (for the EMS building) and absorbing it into the regular operating expenses," finance board member Howell said.

Two weeks ago, when the selectmen scheduled Monday's hearing, Selectman Mark Donahue dissented, arguing that to "administer a presentation of the budget that is (not ours) would not be conducive to having a good discussion for the budget."

However, Murphy and Mullane argued that the selectmen can call a hearing on any topic, and that the public hadn't heard the specifics of the budget cuts yet. 

In his presentation Monday, Murphy said he did not want to hold up the referendum process.

"I don't want to delay that, but I didn't want to leave the people out rushing to a town meeting," Murphy said in an interview before the hearing.

"There's obviously some problem with the selectmen and Board of Finance," Murphy added at the hearing. "I've tried to figure out how to improve that; I think some of the things that have been going on are politically driven."

Howell said she came to the meeting to support Pavlovics reading the statement on behalf of the finance board, and said it was an "awkward situation."

"I didn't want to stay and be targeted. ... if we're going to be there as a board to answer questions, we'll be there as a board," she said.

A handful of residents expressed concern about the budget, with several saying they were confused about the process.

However, many residents agreed, including Brad Borden, that both boards should try to work out their differences before a town meeting is held.

"What's the chances of the Board of Selectmen and Finance getting together and having a few beers?" he asked.

n.lynch@theday.com