Norwich revises budget, avoids deeper cuts

Public hearing to be held next week on latest spending figures

Norwich — The City Council heard criticism and pleas from the public Monday to avoid what were called devastating, reckless and irresponsible budget cuts.

Members responded with split votes that retained several positions slated for cuts and kept the proposed school budget at a 2 percent increase — still well below the 9 percent the school board requested.

The total budget and tax rates for the paid and volunteer fire districts were not available late Monday. Comptroller Josh Pothier said he would have updated totals this morning. A public hearing on the new proposed combined city and school budget will be held at 7:30 p.m. next Monday at City Hall.

In the numerous votes on specific items Monday, the council rejected its own request to City Manager John Salomone that he present scenarios of up to 5 percent spending cuts to the current budget, voting to approve roughly 3 percent spending cuts, while rejecting the deeper cuts at the 4 and 5 percent levels that would have totaled $1.5 million and would have eliminated eight police officer positions and a fire inspector position.

The cuts approved Monday funded the school budget at the 2 percent increase included in Salomone’s initial proposed budget total of $77.7 million.

The council’s budget vote came one week after the Board of Education spent two hours in a joint meeting with the council pleading for its requested 9 percent increase to $83 million. The current school budget also will end with a $1.5 million to $2 million deficit, school administrators told the council last week.

The school board has threatened to take the city to court if the city does not provide adequate funding for the schools.

“What more can I say?” Superintendent Abby Dolliver said prior to the council meeting. “We have to

educate the kids, and it’s the city’s responsibility, all of us, to do it.”

Mayor Peter Nystrom said the budget approved Monday was a preliminary first vote prior to the second public hearing. The council is expected to make further budget changes prior to final budget adoption on June 11.

Council votes Monday avoided some of the major proposed cuts to the police department that would have eliminated eight officers and cut hours for animal control.

The cuts approved did eliminate four vacant officer positions, cut overtime and cut $100,000 from replacement overtime officers to fill in when officers are sick or on vacation and reduced downtown and Greeneville safety cameras.

Police Chief Patrick Daley did not address the council Monday, saying he would speak at next Monday’s budget public hearing. Earlier Monday, Daley said the officer position cuts could jeopardize the two federal COPS — Community Oriented Policing Services — grants the city received in recent years and under which it just started to hire officers. The grant covers about 50 percent of the officers’ salaries for four years, and it requires Norwich to retain the officers for at least five years.

Daley said the officer cuts would immediately put Norwich in violation of the grant conditions and it might have to return the money already spent. The grants require Norwich to retain a force of 88 officers.

“We’d be in violation and we’d never see another COPS grant again,” Daley said.

The reduction in cameras would cause “rolling blackouts” alternating times among the cameras in downtown and Greeneville, Daley said. The department pays monthly fees for operation of the cameras, which would be cut by $7,350.

The council retained lifeguards for swimming at Spaulding Pond in Mohegan Park this summer, and retained a Recreation Department supervisor position considered for cuts.

“I think it’s pretty clear we cannot have Spaulding Pond closed again,” Alderwoman Stephanie Burnham said.

Last year, the council initially voted to eliminate swimming at Spaulding Pond, reversed the decision in June, but it proved too late to hire lifeguards for the summer, and the beach remained closed.