Waterford — The Board of Selectmen held its first round of meetings on the proposed 2022-23 budget last week, approving increases for the information technology and police departments.

The proposed town budget stands at $97.5 million, a 0.59% increase from the current budget. That increase will change as the Board of Education finalizes its own proposed budget and selectmen continue to review department requests.

Many town department heads have already presented their proposed budgets to selectmen, with most asking for less than a 1%  increase.

First Selectman Rob Brule said he asked department heads to keep their budgets the same as last year, knowing the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting will try to tighten them more once the overall budget gets sent to them.

Created as a town department last year, the IT department had the largest increase amount, adding $313,749 to last year's budget and totaling $1.3 million. Brule said he is proud the town has its own IT department instead of sharing services with the public schools system like it did in the past. With the new department, Brule said computer problems are solved quickly and the town has "cyber security and the necessary software to all programs and departments."

Family and Youth Services requested $272,160 which is $39,526 more than the current budget. But Dani Gorman, director of the department, said the increase was due to raises. Apart from the raises, other family and youth service spending would stay the same despite assisting more residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gorman expects the department will get some needed help with the arrival of the town's new human services coordinator, who accompanied her at the meeting with selectmen last week. The new position is funded for two years with federal assistance from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The police commission requested a $66,526 increase from its current $6.4 million budget. Interim Police Chief Marc Balestracci attributed the increase to the increase in fuel prices, seniority increases for officers and new training requirements implemented by the Police Accountability Bill in 2020. Every officer in the state is now required to partake in drug screenings and mental health evaluations.

According to the department's budget request summary, the drug screening costs $136 per officer and must be completed every three years. The mental health evaluation for each officer costs $180 and must be completed every five years.

The budget though does not include raises for police officers as the town's contract with the police union expires in June 2022, and any raises that will be agreed to in a new contract are not included in the budget proposal.

Brule said he also expects the proposed budget will contain increases for fire services, building maintenance and the retirement commission.

The Board of Selectmen is expected to meet Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium to finish finalizing its proposed budget.