2009-10 Budget Information
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APPROVED 2009-2010 BUDGET -
FINAL BUDGET DOCUMENT:
Front Cover through Planning and Community Development
(pg. Front-104)
Community Services through Finance and Records (pg. 105-213)
Board of Education through End (pg. 214-338)
(April 7, 2009) – The Town Council on April 6, 2009 adopted a FY2009-10 Town Operating & Capital Budget in the amount of $48,850,066. The budget requires a 0.02 decrease in the mill levy for a 0.07% decrease in the current tax rate or a mill rate of 29.49 mills. There were no changes to the bottom line of the budget plan proposed by the Town Manager, however, the Town Council did authorize the hiring of up to three temporary summer employees in the Public Works Department to assist with grounds maintenance.
The Town Council’s Adopted Budget includes the following appropriations:
Town Government – $10,627,602
Board of Education – $33,473,797
Debt Service – $4,544,017
Capital – $204,650
TOTAL: $48,850,066
To determine the tax impact on your home of the Town Council’s proposed budget, go to www.visionappraisal.com to obtain your home’s assessed value. Then multiply the assessed value by the proposed mill rate of 29.49. As an example, if your house is assessed at $175,000, multiply that value by 0.02949 to get your annual taxes of $5,160.75. The current mill rate is 29.51 if you wish to compare this year’s to next.
The Town Council’s Budget will be presented at the Annual Budget Presentation meeting to be held at the Tolland High School Auditorium on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. An explanatory text will be mailed to each household with details on the proposed budget during the month of April.
The Annual Budget Referendum takes place on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tolland has two polling places: the Gymnasium of Hicks Memorial Municipal Center (Town Hall) (District 1) located at 21 Tolland Green; and the Tolland Senior Center (District 2) located at 674 Tolland Stage Road. You may direct questions regarding your polling location to any of the following offices: the Registrars of Voters at 871-3634; the Town Clerk’s Office at 871-3630; or the Town Manager’s Office at 871-3600.
- Copies of the proposed budget can be accessed by clicking here. (PENDING; to be posted)
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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICES OF THE TOWN MANAGER AND SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS -
(February 3, 2009) – As in most municipalities, the Town of Tolland is in the midst of preparing a budget for the next fiscal year in what is the worst fiscal climate in decades. Given the dramatic drop in almost all of the local, state, and federal revenue categories in the budget which is being prepared, reduction of services and employment levels are inevitable. These reductions are a continuation of the trend in the current year during which the Town has instituted a hiring freeze and both the Town and the Board of Education have instituted spending restrictions.
The extraordinary financial times requires that business as usual is not acceptable. We must all find ways to reduce the cost of the services we provide for no other reason than that those paying for the service cannot afford increased costs. Public employees are like any other workers; they have bills to pay and families to feed. However, these same employees, who provide services above and beyond those required, are also the first to recognize that in difficult times they must make some sacrifices for the benefit of the community they serve. Pay limitations for key staff and salary freezes for chief executive officers will not balance a budget, but do show a willingness that the leaders of our community understand they must share in the financial pain being inflicted on all of us.
To that end the Town Manager has informed the Town Council that he will not seek or expect a salary increase for the period of October 1, 2009 through September 2010. Likewise the Superintendent of Schools, in his initial budget request on January 14th to the Board of Education, did not seek any increase in his salary. In both instances neither individual will be seeking any other increases to their compensation or accept any furlough days.
Administrators of the Town have also agreed for the next fiscal year to freeze their salaries and to restructure their health insurance plan. The savings attributable to the action of the unaffiliated group is in excess of $90,000. The administrative group for the Board of Education has agreed to a wage increase deferment for the coming year, which results in a zero percent increase for the 2009/2010 fiscal year and extends their contract for a one year period with their wage increase being deferred to the third and extension year of the contract. Such contract amendment is subject to Town Council approval.
We hope that all residents appreciate the extraordinary pressures on both the Town operating budget and the Board of Education budget and the efforts which we are making to craft a budget which will be in line with today’s economic realities. Furthermore it is our hope that residents will understand and accept the need for the types of adjustments to spending requests that will be made in the townwide budget presented to the Town Council on March 19th. The Public Hearing on the proposed budget is on April 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Tolland High School Auditorium.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TOWN MANAGER -
(January 8, 2009) – The Town of Tolland, like all municipalities throughout the state, faces the daunting challenge of preparing budgets for the next fiscal year in light of a severe economic decline and a State budget that has a projected deficit of $2.5 billion and $3.2 billion in 2010 and 2011. Due to economic forces, we are facing the possibility of reduced revenues in this fiscal year which has resulted in Town Departments operating under the constraint of a spending and hiring freeze for a good part of the fiscal year. In the next year, Departments have been instructed to prepare initial budgets at a level of no more than a 1.5% increase including salary increases and to provide options for potential decreases in department budgets for up to 5%.
At this point in the budget process we are anticipating no new revenues from the State of Connecticut for the next fiscal year. We are projecting reduced local revenue in the areas of building permit fees, conveyance tax receipts and investment income. There continues to be a slowdown in residential and commercial construction which will impact our current and future grand lists. Grand list growth is expected to be in the 1% range for the next fiscal year which produces approximately $300,000-$400,000 in new revenue. In addition we are facing economic concerns in the current fiscal year with revenue projected to be approximately $275,000 less than anticipated.
In terms of expenditures, the Town has averaged over the last four years an increase of $486,882 in order to maintain current levels of service. During that same time period the Board of Education has averaged on a yearly basis an increase of $1,418,198. Should the Town’s expenditures increase by no more than 1.5% in the next fiscal year, it would mean new dollars for the Town in the amount of $163,334 and for the Board of Education $502,106. The modest growth in expenditure levels would be quickly absorbed by a few key cost drivers such as projected expenditure increases in the double digit range for health insurance, contractual salary increases of between 2-3%, and continued significant increases in the cost of commodities. Obviously, the reduced expenditure amount will have a serious impact on the level of services offered by the Town and Board of Education.
The challenge being faced by towns and cities throughout the country in this budget climate is how to maintain core services at acceptable service levels and at a cost which is affordable to those being asked to pay for the services. It is especially important in this economic climate for Tolland residents to remain engaged in the budget deliberations of both the Town and Board of Education throughout the process. With limited revenues causing reduced expenditures, there will most likely have to be service reductions throughout the government. Your voice must be heard in terms of acceptable levels of spending, recommendations for reasonable reductions in service levels, and any other efficiencies which can be offered for consideration which may help to reduce expenditures. To help initiate the budget discussion, I am inviting you to an open Town Meeting on January 22, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fire Training Center at which time I will briefly review the revenue and expenditure information contained in this correspondence and then engage in a dialogue with residents on budget matters. As the budget develops, residents can also find information on the Town’s website; you may click here to access the budget homepage. Residents are encouraged to sign up for our e-mail subscription service which will amongst other things provide you notice of the various public meetings related to the budget. Sign-up is located on the website homepage at the “E-Newsletter Sign-Up” link. The Town Manager’s Budget will be released on March 19, 2009 with a public hearing being held on April 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. I hope to see you at the meeting being held on January 22nd; however, you can contact me at any time at swerbner@tolland.org regarding the budget or any other Town matters.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TOWN MANAGER -
(December 18, 2008) – Tolland, like the State of Connecticut and the country as a whole, faces an economic crisis unlike any we have seen for a number of years. We have all watched with anxiety as our savings, retirement and college accounts have dwindled on a daily basis. Many people’s homes and jobs are at risk and there appears to be no end in sight to the downturn which is graphically displayed on every news broadcast and in the daily papers. It is under this cloud of uncertainty and anxiety that we as a municipality must start to prepare the 09/10 fiscal year budget.
In mid-December I released the five-year Capital Budget which addresses the Town’s infrastructure and capital equipment needs. The funding level for the next fiscal year is exactly the same as this year and no new debt financed projects are recommended. In difficult economic times it is important that the Capital needs of the community continue to be addressed to the extent possible so that the needs do not go unaddressed and add to the financial burden of future generations. Detailed information regarding the Capital Plan can be found on the Town’s website on the 2009-10 Budget page and will be the subject of a public hearing on February 26, 2009.
Town Departments have received their budget guidelines for the next fiscal year. Based on the financial times, anticipated level or reduced funding in State municipal aid, reduced Town revenue in such areas as interest on investments, building inspection fees and conveyance fees, I am asking that Departments submit to me for review budgets with bottom line increases that do not exceed 2% over the current year’s amount. This includes costs for contractually mandated salary increases which in some cases exceed the 2% amount. I have also asked Departments to provide me with the service level impacts of reductions in their base budget in 1% increments down to a 5% percent decrease. The Town Council has recently set an initial goal of not more than 1.5% for Town expenditures. With these limited expenditure increases there will most likely have to be service reductions in a number of areas throughout the Town Government. The challenge will be to maintain core services and acceptable service levels which Tolland residents have come to expect over the years.
It is especially important this year that Tolland residents remain engaged in the budget deliberations throughout the process. Information on the budget can be found on the 2009-10 Budget page of the Town’s website. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for our e-mail subscription service which will, amongst other things, provide you notice of the various public meetings related to the budget. On January 22, 2009 residents are invited to participate in a Budget Discussion hosted by the Town Manager at the Fire Training Center starting at 7:30 p.m. This meeting is intended to briefly review available revenue and expenditure information, but more importantly discuss with residents adjustments in service levels which would be acceptable as we develop targets within expenditure guidelines. The Town Manager’s budget will be released on March 19, 2009 with a public hearing being held on April 2, 2009 at 7:30 pm in the High School Auditorium. Residents are encouraged at any time to contact me by e-mail at swerbner@tolland.org to provide me with your comments on the next fiscal year budget.
Steven R. Werbner
Town Manager
21 Tolland Green
Tolland, CT 06084
Phone: (860) 871-3600
Fax: (860) 871-3663
E-mail: swerbner@tolland.org
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TOWN COUNCIL ADOPTS PROPOSED BUDGET -