Tuesday night, the Board of Finance cut spending from both the Board of Education's and Board of Selectmen's proposed 2013-2014 spending packages.
If passed by voters, the resulting budget would raise the tax rate as much as 2.2 percent, representing an increase of $147 for the owner of the “average” home with an assessed value of $253,000 and a market value of $361,429.
That new rate of 27 mills includes bonding for the high school track, field and parking lot and town roofs projects approved by voters last fall as well as roads and garage plans the town would bring to a spring referendum. If the spring projects were to be defeated the tax increases would be lower.
Prior to a Board of Finance Workshop Tuesday, the budget would have carried a larger impact, approximately a $200 increase for that average homeowner. The Board of Selectmen had proposed an increase of nearly 4 percent in its budget and the Board of Finance a 3.45 percent increase over approved 2012-2013 spending.
After much discussion, the finance board cut $50,000 from the Board of Education’s Capital Improvements budget and $50,000 from its operating budget.
While administrators would decided where to trim before the next fiscal year began, finance board member Brian First said he hoped the $50,000 in capital could be realized by pursuing alternative plans in the effort to make the Canton Middle/High School nurse room ADA accessible. He also said he hoped the operating budget cut could be done without any further staff reductions.
"We believe it is a very fiscally conservative budget that maintains services we have in place and allows us to move forward with a couple of our initiatives," Superintendent Kevin Case said after the meeting.
In the Board of Selectmen’s budget, the finance board cut $85,000 from the operating budget and $92,500 from the capital improvements funding.
Originally members discussed cutting as much as $175,000 from selectmen’s capital improvements budget, suggesting that items such as $65,000 for half the cost of a new police dispatch console, $27,500 toward a new generator at the Collinsville fire station, $50,00 in roads funding and $32,000 for a larger tractor mower could potentially trimmed. (The Board of Selectmen budget includes a total of $500,000 for road work and the spring bonding proposal would include $6 million for major roads projects).
Even with the adjustment, first selectman Richard Barlow said he felt it “shortsighted” to cut so much from capital when the town is so far behind on its infrastructure needs.
Finance board chairman Richard Ohanesian said that the board of selectmen could always come forward with a mid-year request in an emergency situation, such as if the dispatch console were to break down.
With the operating budget, finance board members said they had serious doubts about whether a part-time fire/EMS business manager would solve what officials say is a problem of the town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department following procedures for purchases. They also said they had serious reservations about the level of proposed increases for registrars and senior and social services director Claire Cote.
The proposed teen services librarian at 16 hours a week was also mentioned and while selectmen will have to vote where to cut many members previously indicated that it would likely not survive any cuts. In all, the package that will go to voters this spring represents a 1.62 percent increase in expenditures. The breakdown is
- Board of Selectmen — $9,378, 378, a 2.06 percent increase from the $9,189,378 number from 2012-2013.
- Board of Finance (including debt for the four projects) $1,521,857, a 18.26 percent decrease over the 2012-2013 number of $1,861,850
- Board of Education — $24,148,510, a 3.02 percent increase over the over the 2012-2013 approved budget of $23,440,402.
- Overall — $35,048,745, a 1.62 percent increase over the 2012-2013 approved budget of $34,491,631
“Taxes cannot rise to the level people can’t afford to live her anymore,” member Mary Tomolonius said.
Others agreed but some, like First, said he felt any further cuts would impact too many services.
The low increases of the past several years are hard to sustain, he said, and to some degree residents have voted for projects that were not essential.
Tomolonius and Ken Humphrey voted against the Board of Selectmen budget and Tomolonius voted against the entire budget plan as well.
Wednesday evening, selectmen are scheduled to meet to discuss the budget as well as potentially set a date for a town meeting on the budget and meeting and referendum dates for the proposed garage and roads projects.
Selectman David Gilchrist has indicated he would also start a petition to bring the budget to referendum, giving electors the chance to vote on the projects and the budget on the same day.
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