Groton — Supporters showed up to a public hearing Thursday to advocate for funding for the Mystic & Noank Library and the Bill Memorial Library, as they face cuts in next year's proposed budget.

Town Manager John Burt outlined, during the hearing at the Groton Senior Center, the town's overall proposed fiscal year 2020 budget of $129,421,737, which is a 2.8 percent increase over the current year's spending. The proposal takes about $1.5 million from the town’s fund balance so the tax rate is held steady at 24.17 mills, but Burt said the town can't do that every year.

Burt highlighted positives in Groton, such as Pfizer, the Naval Submarine Base, anticipated new revenues from Electric Boat, and a high level of services, but also said the town faces challenges that include unfunded mandates, shrinking state aid, the potential for the state to pass some of the teacher pension costs to municipalities, and costs from the Groton 2020 school plan. Debt service is expected to increase by a net of $1.37 million next year due to bonding for the new middle school, his budget proposal states.

Burt said town departments have had cuts for years, and he's running out of places to look. He proposed a 25 percent cut to nonmandated health and services agencies, including Groton Ambulance, Mystic River Ambulance and Mystic & Noank Library and Bill Memorial Library. He also recommended reducing by 10 percent the amount a review committee recommended providing to outside charities, according to his budget proposal.

His proposal also calls for the addition of a full-time deputy finance director and part-time financial assistant, as the town sees increased activity in the finance department; a full-time police lieutenant, which Burt said would help offset overtime costs, and a full-time Public Works equipment operator. It calls for the reduction of an unfilled Public Works custodian job, as well as an assistant to the town manager position, which is vacant due to a retirement.

About 20 speakers at the hearing, including several children, expressed support of the libraries in town. Many spoke about the Mystic & Noank Library, but others spoke about the Bill Memorial Library, or urged support for the proposed funding to the Groton Public Library, which would see a 1.5 percent increase in the town manager's budget.

Judy Munro said that when she moved here five years ago, the Mystic & Noank Library — which sees more than 100,000 people come through its doors each year — was a way to orient herself to her newly adopted town. She said she learned to download books, sharpened her computer skills, went to movies, listened to speakers, met her neighbors and brought her grandchildren there.

Bill Turner, president of the board of trustees for the Mystic & Noank Library, said when it comes to libraries, he doesn't think "that there should be any winners or losers" and expressed that libraries build strong communities.

"I'm a former educator. I know the value that libraries bring to school systems, after-school programs, to youth, to seniors, to teenage students, and learning," he said.

He added that he knows from his real estate work that libraries, along with school systems and gyms, are among the features that make communities attractive to new Electric Boat recruits moving to the area.   

Laura Cotto, a city resident, spoke about the role Bill Memorial Library played in helping her attain her education when she became a young mother to a baby girl.

"We attended story times and socialized with other families, and I slowly took courses one at a time, researching and typing papers on their computers," Cotto said. "Soon the library staff knew us well and they recommended books, taught me new technology, and sometimes entertained my child as I slowly earned my associate degree, my bachelor's and finally my master's. My children have grown to be wonderful students and avid readers thanks to those countless hours spent at the library."

Cotto added that as Groton moves toward building a strong community center, she worries about families on her side of town, particularly as they have recently lost the Pleasant Valley School and recreation programs at the William Seely School.

Other speakers at the hearing addressed a variety of issues, including calls to fund the closed North Stonington Bridge, support education funding or make more budget cuts.

Representative Town Meeting member Kathy Chase said that with the uncertainty of cuts to state aid and the potential for the state to pass costs to the town that the state previously had paid for, Groton needs to start making changes. She said she appreciates the cuts in the town manager's budget, but, in her view, the decreases aren't enough.

"We have to live within our means," she added.

RTM member Mike Whitney said he had reservations about adding three new town positions, in light of rising health care costs. He said "there has to be a pressing and sustained need to justify the new positions." While that may be the case for the police lieutenant position, as it will offset overtime costs, he said, the deputy finance director and the financial assistant positions need further justification.

However, he spoke in support of ambulance services.

"They are a critical part of the safety that we are depending on and that’s not a service that the town duplicates at all," Whitney said. He also urged support for proposed capital improvement projects of asbestos removal at Robert E. Fitch High School and improvements to the Groton Community Center, including fixing lead levels in the water, as well as the education budget.

The proposed education budget of $77,438,090, which is a 1.24 percent increase, maintains class sizes, supports reading, writing and math workshops and the Next Generation Science Standards, retains all curricular and extracurricular programs, and continues the one-to-one computer program at the high school, among other highlights, according to Board of Education Chair Kim Shepardson Watson's presentation.

The Town Council will begin a series of budget review sessions, starting with a meeting on Saturday, and has to approve a budget by April 28. The budget then goes to the RTM.

k.drelich@theday.com