Proposed Cut To Tolland Schools Budget Overshadows Council's Review of Town Budget

Town Manager Steven Werbner’s spending proposals for community services and general government operations next year highlighted the town council’s written agenda Tuesday evening, but it was his earlier recommendation to reduce the school board’s budget request by $1.38 million that drew the most public comment.

Werbner is recommending, in part, that the school board’s teachers, administrators and staff switch to a high-deductible, health savings account insurance plan similar to the one offered to town hall employees as a way of reducing costs. More than half of the school board’s proposed $2.21 million spending increase for next year was the result of higher insurance costs.

“The cost of health benefits is putting a significant strain on all public sector budgets and efforts must be made by employees and employers to find reasonable ways to reduce these costs,” Werbner wrote in his March 15 budget message to the council.

Werbner has recommended an education budget for next year of $34,637,431, which is $828,896 or 2.45 percent higher than the current approved budget.

Ken Kittredge, chairman of Friends of Tolland Schools, urged council members to reject Werbner’s recommended schools budget and approve school Superintendent William D. Guzman’s $36.02 million budget plan that was adopted by the school board in February. Guzman’s budget proposal is 6.53 percent higher than current school spending.

Kittredge acknowledged that moving school employees to a health savings account plan “is a good idea,” but said it “must be done within the structure of the teacher’s contract.”

Resident Sam Belsito, however, sided with Werbner, and characterized Guzman and the school board as “out of touch” with the taxpayers. He described the school board’s $36.02 budget proposal as “over the top.”

Werbner’s recommended education budget wasn’t even on the agenda of Tuesday’s meeting, but rather is headed for a public hearing March 29, at 7:30 p.m., in the auditorium at Tolland High School.

What was on the agenda for discussion Tuesday was Werbner’s spending proposals totaling $856,537 for community services. Werbner is recommending spending the following:

• senior center, $44,991 (no significant change);
• human services, $310,010 (+$5,907);
• library services, $385,986 (+$5,973), and
• recreation and adult education, $116,547 (includes $8,000 increase in printing costs for town newsletter due to loss of advertizing revenue). 

There was little discussion among council members of any of these due to the relatively insignificant change in each item.

Webner is recommending an overall town government budget of $10,832,492 next year, an increase of 1.98 percent over current spending. In addition to this and his school budget proposal, Werbner is also recommending a debt service appropriation of $4,751,796 (+2.79%) and capital improvements, $305,708 (+14.63%).

When these are combined, Werbner’s total budget proposal for next year is $50,527,427, an increase of 2.45 percent. To pay for it all, he anticipates the town will receive $12,489,515 from sources other than local property owners and will kick in another $230,000 from the town’s fund balance.

Property owners will have to pay the rest, $37,807,912, which would require a tax rate of 29.99 mills.

If all this happens, property owners in the fiscal year that begins July 1 would owe the town $2,999 for each $100,000 in assessed property value, which would be a 2.88 percent increase over the current tax rate.