Roads Win, Schools Lose

Branford’s Representative Town Meeting adopted a $96.5 million budget Tuesday, a budget that keeps the town’s budget intact, cuts $100,000 from the schools and gives the average homeowner a $5,000 a year tax bill with a $150.00 hike.

Here’s the breakdown.

If you own a waterfront property on Blackstone Avenue, in Pine Orchard, a property assessed at $1.3 million, your taxes are going up by $931 to $34,164 if the new budget gets final approval from the Board Finance (BOF) this month. 

If you are not on the sea, but still in Pine Orchard, you may be looking at an additional $805.00 and a payment of $29,543 to the town if your home is assessed in the $1.1 million area. 

If you live in a condo assessed at $110,300 — say, for example, Jefferson Woods in Branford Hills — your taxes will go up by $75.00, from $2,677 to $2,750. If you live in Short Beach on Highland Avenue in a home assessed at $248,400 your taxes will go up by $169, from $6,029 to $6,198. If you are over in Stony Creek, on Buena Vista Road and your home is assessed at $375,200, your yearly increase is $255.00, and your taxes are now at $9,361.

These figures are based on the final numbers complied by Jim Finch, the town’s Finance Director and are based on changes that took place at the RTM’s annual budget meeting. This year the mill rate, which determines the property tax rate, rose from 24.27 to 24.98 proposed by the BOF to 24.95 mills adopted by the RTM — -a 2.8 percent tax increase. 

The BOF set a $96.6 million budget in March. The RTM committees then examined it, looking for ways to streamline it. They may do that by moving items around, taking from one town department while giving to another. And they may cut outright. But they may not increase the budget from what the BOF sets. The next step is for the BOF to formally review the RTM’s budget and then formally adopt the annual tax rate at its May 21st meeting. 

SCHOOLS GET CUT

In Branford, property taxes pay for roughly 96 percent of the school budget, which after the RTM acted last night came in at $50.2 million, the largest on record even with the $100,000 the RTM removed. The $45,809 town budget remained virtually the same, suffering only a $15,000 RTM cut.

The RTM’s major cuts centered on the $50.835 million school budget, over which it has no line item control. It reduced the school system budget by $100,000. Republican RTM members Marc Riccio, who is the vice-chair of the Republican Town Committee, and Peter Black sought to make the cut $130,000, but the Democrats opposed that move and they lost. 

Board of Education (BOE) Chairman Frank Carrano could not hide his disappointment. The BOF had previously cut the school budget by $320,000 and with another $100,000 cut by the RTM, he said he did not think a pre‑K class at the John B. Sliney school could be implemented. And he was concerned about additional language classes in the 4th grade. ​“It’s all up in the air,” he said. 

The RTM’s education committee met Monday, the day before the budget meeting. At that time it recommended the $100,000 cut to the school operating budget. ​“It certainly appeared to be very arbitrary,” Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez said of the major cut. ​“The rationale was not clearly articulated,” he added in a brief interview before he left the meeting.

In February, Hernandez outlined his $50.7 million school budget for the 2012 – 13 school year, a budget he said would emphasize innovation. It was designed to emphasize universal pre-kindergarten, world languages at the 4th grade level and hiring an instructional coach in needed areas — for example, writing and reading comprehension. He also pressed for additional technology learning. What programs survive these latest cuts remain to be seen.

In an effort to juggle priorities, Carrano suggested the RTM split the $100,000 cut between the school’s operating and capital budgets so that $50,000 could go directly to the operating budget, an effort to try to preserve some of these programs while delaying capital improvements. 

Hernandez was disappointed given the RTM’s adoption of Roberts Rules of order and a point of order that was called that the RTM did not handle their request. Instead Republican RTM member Richard Greenalch, Jr. suggested Carrano return to the BOF to seek the 50 – 50 split he sought. 

Hernandez said the full RTM was permitted under Roberts Rules of Order to take the matter up as one RTM member Adam Hansen noted. ​“They could have taken control of the situation instead of referring it back to the board of finance. They have the authority to do that,” Carrano added as he left Canoe brook Senior Center where the meeting was held. 

PRIORITIES

Overall, the Republicans wanted more cuts and made a plea to help what they called ​“the tired taxpayer.” The Democrats pressed for what they said were the services the town’s residents have come to expect and want, especially when it comes to keeping the town in good shape. In the end, the Democrats, who control the RTM by a 19 to 11 margin held the day.

In recent weeks First Selectman Unk DaRos and Second Selectman Andy Campbell pressed to restore two major items. First on DaRos’s list was assurance that a 2.5 percent salary increase for non-union employees would be adopted by the RTM.

At the March BOF meeting he cited the number of town employees who fell into different salary categories ranging from $31,000 a year to $112,000 a year. ​“These are the people that are easiest to pick on,” he said because unlike other town employees they are not unionized. If they were, their raises would be automatic and binding by contract. An amendment by Republican BOF member Jennifer Aniskovich to reduce the town proposed 2.9 percent increase to 2.0 percent was defeated 4 – 3 in favor of a 2.5 percent compromise offered by Victor Cassella, a Democratic BOF member. DaRos, an ex-officio BOF member, broke the tie vote. 

But when the 2.5 percent got to the RTM’s administrative services committee, the committee, led by Democrats, instead decided to restore the 2 percent increase the Republicans sought.

DaRos and Campbell were stunned. Over the next few weeks discussions were held with key Democratic RTM members. The moment of truth came Tuesday night when longtime Democratic RTM member Dorothy Maynard stood to amend the administrative services recommendations. 

“I move to amend the amendment from a 2 percent increase to a recommended BOF 2.5 percent increase,” she said softly. Moderator Chris Sullivan asked if there was any discussion. ​“Hearing none,” he said, ​“all in favor of the 2.5 percent increase say Aye.” By voice vote the Democrats said yes. The Republicans said no. 

DaRos asked to be heard.

“These were the people that we called out in the blizzards, in the hurricane that had no, no compensation whatsoever for any overtime they do. These are the ones who come to these meetings at night with no compensation. None. These were the same people I called up and said you need to report for work and some of those people did not return home for 7 days during the hurricane. There is no compensation,” he said raising his voice.

“That’s all. I am glad you held it at 2.5 percent. This is to put them on par with their wages. We have a salary study and we try to straighten it out and then you forget about it. This time we have to show some kind of recognition,” he said.

The turmoil over their raises has upset many of the town’s department heads and their staffs. There has been talk in recent weeks of seeking unionization so that increases and other benefits are automatic. Whether the new raise will offset their anger remains to be seen. 

ROADS AND MORE ROADS

The other major priority for DaRos is the town’s roads. The BOF had already cut that budget significantly. Art Baker, the head of public works department, was seeking to restore about $100,000. In the end he came close. He got $90,000 put back into his budget. Hansen and Doug Hanlon, an RTM member from Short Beach, spoke in favor of road restoration. 

DaRos has been campaigning on behalf of the roads at various RTM meetings. At the budget meeting he said: ​“We were lucky we did not have a severe winter because our town roads, after Irene, would have been in deplorable condition. Now all these roads that should have been done are piling up. At what point do we declare it a question?

He emphasized the need to keep the infrastructure intact. The roads, he said, are ​“the major infrastructure for the town of Branford, probably the biggest. When we let it start falling behind, at some point it will cost a lot more. I know you have been struggling with this budget, no question about it. At the same time we have to consider maintaining the services that the people in the town of Branford have come to expect. This is an investment,” he added. ​“It will save you in the long run. I can see us taking a dangerous slide if we don’t take care of our roads, our infrastructure. Thank you for opportunity to speak.”

The Democrats voted to transfer a total of $90,000 for road repair. James Walker, III, was the only Republican RTM member who voted with them. Greenalch, (pictured) a longtime member of the RTM, was sympathetic to the budget problems but said he wasn’t going to forget the taxpayer in this equation.

“Taxpayers are telling us, ​‘give us a break. Stop adding taxes. Reduce the mill rate’”. He said out of a $96 million budget the RTM had only cut $115,000. He acknowledged there wasn’t that much to cut to begin with. ​“I could make the case to restore funds to the board of education or to the senior center. How do I explain that to the voter who has not seen an increase in salary and has no health insurance. I am going to oppose this. Not because I am against roads but because we have to think about the taxpayers.”

Dennis Flanagan, the Republican RTM clerk, and the longest serving member on the RTM, knows the RTM budget process well, what it can and cannot do given what it receives. ​“I felt the board of finance could have made deeper cuts,” he said of the board that sets the scale.

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