Town Council Revises Budget, Trims Another $325,000

The budget proposal for 2011-12 just got a bit trimmer.

The Town Council reduced the proposal - which has been defeated twice at referendum - by another $325,000 at a special meeting held tonight at the Hicks Memorial Municipal Center.

The reduction breaks down this way:

• $243,750 from the Board of Education
• $81,250 from a combination of the Town Government and Capital plans

After the meeting council Chairman Frederick Daniels said the group arrived at the $325,000 amount first and then decided to split the reduction by applying 75 percent of it to the school system and 25 percent to the town, nearly in line with how the budget is allotted.

The overall $50,427,662 budget breaks down this way:

• Town Government - $10,766,199
• Schools - $34,662,357
• Debt Services - $4,751,796
• Capital - $247,310

The proposed budget is $1,107,476, or 2.25 percent more than the current year. If approved at the May 31st referendum, it would require a tax rate of 29.37, or a 1.99 percent increase in municipal taxes.

To make the reductions on the town side, Town Manager Steven Werbner proposed delaying the hiring of the new assistant public safety supervisor until Jan. 1 to save on the salary and to use some of the money currently in the capital account to tie the town hall into the municipal sewer system, among other items.

School board member Steve Clark said board members have a regular meeting scheduled for next week, however, he did not think they would discuss specific changes to the education budget until the board has a firm, and voter approved, bottom line.

Read more Thursday on Tolland Patch.