Groton — A public hearing on the city's proposed fiscal year 2022 budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 19.

People can join the public hearing virtually via Zoom, with details posted on the agenda at bit.ly/gc21budgetagenda. People also can join the meeting in person in the Council Chambers in the City Municipal Building, 295 Meridian St.

The proposed spending plan will keep the tax rate at its current rate of 4.3 mills.

The proposal stands at $19,992,489, which is an increase of $2,078,043 over the current year's budget. The increase includes contractual services for additional inspections for large constructions projects, primarily at Electric Boat. The budget also includes contractual raises and increases in nondepartmental expenses, such as insurance and workman's compensation, and money for capital projects and future vehicle purchases, according to Mayor Keith Hedrick.

The city is able to maintain a flat tax rate due to revenue from permit fees from construction that go into the fund balance, he has said. The budget uses $2.6 million from the fund balance, which leaves the town with a healthy reserve of 24.1% of expenditures, he said.

The proposed budget can be found at bit.ly/gcproposedbudget.