Montville — The town's budget season pushes forward this week with a pair of public hearings and a Finance Committee meeting that could lead to adjustments to the mayor's $60.5 million proposed 2019 budget.

The Town Council will hold a public hearing on general government expenses Monday, followed by a hearing on the Board of Education budget Thursday. Both hearings are set for 6 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

Earlier this month, Mayor Ron McDaniel presented a budget that included about $2.9 million more in spending than the current year. His proposal would increase the town's tax rate by 2.23 mills, about a $111 hike on a property assessed at $50,000. A mix of capital improvement expenses, contractual raises and increased health insurance costs impacted the budget.

The mayor and several councilors also expressed frustration with the state legislature for failing to pass a budget in a timely manner and for doling out municipal aid in an inconsistent and lackluster fashion.

McDaniel proposed town operational expenses of $21.1 million, along with $1.42 million in what he described as much-needed capital improvements, such as road repair and vehicle replacement. His proposed $37.9 million schools budget is the same amount approved by the school board in February.

The Finance Committee met twice this past week to review officials' budget requests and to look for opportunities to save money across various departments. The committee meets again Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Town Hall, Room 203, where it likely will vote on budget recommendations to the Town Council.

The mayor's spending plan called for no added staff, but some officials this past week pushed for adding at least one dispatcher to help emergency teams better handle calls; more police officers to help cover three upcoming retirements and prevent overtime costs racking up; and vehicle replacement plans.

Finance Committee Chairman Wills Pike said the committee asked dispatcher John Leonard "to come meet with us Tuesday to brief us on the specific needs for a new dispatcher."

Public Safety Commissioners Vic Lenda and Jim Moran and police Lt. Leonard Bunnell all urged the committee to add an additional full-time dispatcher.

The committee also will discuss proposed road repairs with Public Works Director Don Bourdeau on Tuesday. Pike noted the $900,000 planned for repairs each of the next five years would cover the costs of repaving several roads, but wouldn't fully cover shoulders or drainage expenses.

The budget includes $190,000 allocated for restroom repairs at the Community Center, but there's been discussion of spreading the project over the next two years.

The public works budget also includes an additional $60,000 mandated by the state for annual stormwater quality testing. The technology department called for at least $73,000 in capital spending for upgrades to cameras, server software and the town website.

The education budget would see minor increases to high school class sizes and includes two teacher layoffs, but far fewer layoffs than school officials initially laid out as a possibility. In a move inspiring ongoing debate similar to last year, the school board also voted 8-1 to seek bids from private busing companies for 2018-19. Officials said outsourcing busing would save about $50,000 in operating expenses in the upcoming year and a combined $1 million in capital and operating expenses over the next four years.

The Town Council will take a final vote on the budget in May.

b.kail@theday.com