Stonington finance board approves proposed budget with 0.49-mill tax increase
Stonington — The Board of Finance on Thursday approved a proposed 2021-22 budget that calls for a 0.49-mill tax rate increase.
The $73.1 million budget and its 23.85-mill tax rate will now go to a public hearing on April 1. After the hearing, the board will make possible revisions before finalizing a budget to send to town meeting and referendum vote.
Board members, who cut millions of dollars of town and school capital improvement requests and some general government funding, called it a responsible budget. The $38.3 million school operating budget, and its 2.5% increase, was not cut.
Over the next few months, town and school officials have said they will try and fund some of the items the finance board cut during its deliberations by using upcoming federal COVID-19 aid it expects to receive.
The board kept in the budget a request to spend $40,400 to hire a community outreach specialist for the Human Services Department to help address a large increase in requests for assistance with issues such as domestic violence and mental health. Last week, selectwomen June Strunk and Deborah Downie agreed to each give up $10,000 of their $14,500 salaries to help offset the cost of the new position.
The position was strongly supported by Police Chief J. Darren Stewart, who said many calls police receive now are mental health related and the community outreach specialist will be able to assist officers with follow-up services.
"This problem will not go away. Police are not the answer to a lot of these calls," he said.
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