Waterford RTM begins its final review of 2016-17 budget

Waterford — Members of the the town’s 22- member legislative body began final deliberations on the town’s proposed 2016- 17 budget Monday with a more than two- hour meeting that resulted in small cuts to the public works department and police departments.

First Selectmen Daniel Steward proposed most of the cuts, most resulting from lower heating, gasoline and diesel costs.

Waterford’s Representative Town Meeting is the third and final body to consider the town’s budgets for the fiscal year beginning in July.

The three-member Board of Selectmen approved a $32 million operating budget and $ 12 million capital plan in February.

The Board of Education passed its $46.9 million budget proposal weeks later.

The Board of Finance deliberated on the budget proposals in March, leaving the operating budget at $ 31.9 million, the capital plan at $12.1 million and the school budget at $46.4 million.

The 18 present members of the Representative Town Meeting considered the first round of budget requests for several town departments, commissions and contracted services Monday.

They voted to reduce the public works department budget by $30,500 and the police department by almost $25,000 due to fuel savings, among other cuts.

Steward also said that the Board of Selectmen would withdraw its appeal of a decision by the Board of Finance not to add cost-of-living raises for the town’s elected officials into the budget.

Raises tied to the Consumer Price Index are normally included in the budget voted on by the Board of Selectmen each year, but because of an oversight the RTM committee charged with setting the pay increases didn’t meet until after this year’s election, too late for the adjustments to be included in the selectmen’s 2016-17 budget proposal.

The Board of Selectmen last month voted 2-1 to ask the RTM to consider putting the raises back into the budget, but Steward said the selectmen agreed that impending cuts in state aid made that request inappropriate.

The RTM also considered the emergency management department budget late Monday night.

The body will address the capital improvement plan and the budget proposals for several town commissions, the building department, the fire departments and the Board of Selectmen tonight.

Budget hearings will continue Wednesday and conclude Thursday with a vote on the Board of Education budget and a final vote on all operating and capital costs.