Ledyard Town Council sends $60.9 million budget to public hearing
Ledyard — After a series of line-by-line budget workshops conducted by the Finance Committee, the Town Council voted 7-1 Wednesday to send a $60,098,294 budget to a public hearing scheduled for later this month.
The proposed 2019-20 budget includes $27,549,725 for the general government budget and $32,548,569 for the Board of Education. It is a 4.18 percent increase over the 2018-19 budget and would reflect a 0.83 mill increase to 35.12 mills.
Councilor Kevin Dombrowski voted against the motion, and Councilor John Marshall was absent from the meeting.
Councilor Bill Saums, who serves on the Finance Committee, said the increase largely is due to scheduled salary increases and decreased revenues from the state. Through the budget workshops, the committee met with each department and was able to negotiate more than $250,000 in cuts from their proposed budgets.
At the meeting, Mayor Fred Allyn III said the town still was waiting on finalized numbers for health insurance costs. However, the town budgeted for the highest cost within the range given by the provider to create a buffer.
In addition, the council also approved a $1,504,110 water operations budget for the town's Water Pollution Control Authority. A town ordinance says the water authority's budget must be approved separately.
A charter revision approved last year also requires the town to have a contingency plan with cuts that could be made in the event of a catastrophic budget change, such as the reduction of state revenues or increase in taxes; the council then would be allowed to reopen the budget and revise it as needed before a new town meeting. Saums said the council and the Board of Education already have recommendations, should they need them.
The public hearing on the proposed 2019-20 budget will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 29, at the Ledyard High School auditorium, where residents and taxpayers will be able to share their thoughts on the budget. The Town Council then can revise the budget if needed before the town meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 20, also at the Ledyard High School auditorium.
The town meeting will adjourn to a referendum on May 21, when voters take to the polls between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
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