With no debate and no amendments, the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a budget that will raise taxes by 3 mills.
The vote came at a special budget meeting in the Aldermanic Chamber in City Hall Tuesday evening.
The new $497,454,609 budget, which takes effect on July 1, will increase spending by 2.3 percent. The budget includes a property tax increase of 3 mills, bringing the rate up to 41.88 mills.
That means someone with a home valued at $200,000 (assessed value, not market value) will see his or her tax bill go up by $604 next year; and the home will have an annual tax bill of $8,378.
The budget that passed was trimmed down from the $503 million budget proposed by Mayor John DeStefano in March. Aldermen found some savings in attrition cuts and the state came through with more funding for New Haven than expected.
“In light of dramatic state revenue cuts I think that, on balance, this is a prudent budget that preserves core city services,” said DeStefano in a press release. “While it is never ideal to have to raise taxes, it is vital for the health and the future of New Haven to preserve and continue development of three essential areas: education and School Change, public safety and economic growth.”
The average homeowner will see taxes go up by about $25 a month, according to the mayor’s office. DeStefano said the budget “preserves core city services and functions such as School Change, senior centers, parks, and libraries”; adds 40 new walking beats around town; and “addresses the decline in staffing of the fire department” by adding 80 new firefighters.
The budget passed without dissent Tuesday evening, 28 to zero. Two aldermen, Delphine Clyburn and Carlton Staggers, were absent.
Hill Alderwoman Andrea Jackson-Brooks, chair of the Finance Committee, said it was one of the smoothest budget votes she can remember. She attributed the lack of debate to a thorough deliberative process in committee, which included “a lot of open dialogue.”
Even aldermen who had tried unsuccessfully to make deeper budget cuts in committee voted for the budget in the end. East Rock Aldermen Jessica Holmes and Justin Elicker put forward an amendment in committee that would have blocked a $3 million increase in the Board of Ed budget. They didn’t try to again on Tuesday to make such an amendment.
“I can count votes, and the votes weren’t there,” said Elicker, who’s one of seven candidates for mayor. He said he’s “disappointed” with the budget.
“Ultimately, the city’s fiscal problems can’t be solved by the Board of Aldermen,” Elicker said. The administration is not transparent when it comes to providing information about how money is spent, Elicker said.
“This tax increase is going to be really hard for people in New Haven,” said Holmes. She said it “became clear” in the committee process how important the role of the mayor is in budgeting.
“We have a revenue problem,” she said. She said she hopes that after DeStefano retires at the end of the year, the next mayor will work with Yale and non-profits and the state to bring in more revenue to the city.
Reggie Mayo (at left in photo, conferring with Assistant Superintendent Garth Harries), superintendent of schools, said he was “ecstatic” about the vote.
Mayo won a $3 million increase he requested to the “city contribution” towards education, city taxpayer dollars that go directly to the school board, bringing that total to $24.6 million. The budget includes a $177.2 million “general fund” of state and city tax dollars that go towards education. The $3 million increase is the largest in years: The general fund rose $1.2 million in the prior four years.
Mayo said he wasn’t expecting a unanimous vote.
“Everybody stood up for the kids tonight,” he said. “The Board of Aldermen showed a lot of courage tonight.”
Even with the $3 million increase, the school district will still have to make $9.4 million in cuts, including eliminating 55 teaching positions, 10 paraprofessional jobs, five clerical/security jobs, and six administrative positions, according to schools Chief Operating Officer Will Clark. Clark has said the district plans to make those cuts through attrition, not through layoffs.