Groton ― City of Groton voters on Monday night unanimously approved $19.1 million city budget for 2023-24 that would keep the tax rate at 3.67 mills.

Twenty-two people voted in favor of the budget at the annual budget meeting held Monday in the City Council Chambers of the City Municipal Building.

City of Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick previously had said in his budget message to the City Council that the proposed budget continues services. The city also continues to put aside money to buy vehicles in the future.

The budget uses $2.1 million of the undesignated fund balance ― also known as the Rainy Day Fund ― to soften the impact on the tax rate, while leaving sufficient reserves, Hedrick said.

Hedrick said the City Council moved some money around in the budget during its reviews, but kept the overall impact to taxpayers the same.

The 2023-24 budget is $408,934 less than the current budget, a decrease of about 2.1%.

At Monday’s meeting, resident and retired City Clerk Debra Patrick said her concern is that the mayor’s salary is not being increased incrementally over time, but all at once.

Under the new budget, the mayor’s base salary is $95,000, an increase of 11.76% over the current year. Hedrick had not received a salary increase since his first year and said raises could only be done in election years.

Patrick said the public would more easily understand the incremental increases other employees receive every two years.

Patrick also took issue with the city clerk salary, which is higher than she and other administrative staff received. The salary for the part-time city clerk, which will be combined with the part-time administrative clerk position, will be $63,230, an increase of 3% over the current year’s budget.

k.drelich@theday.com