Preston provides fun before finance

Annual Palooza fundraiser to be held Thursday before town meeting on municipal and school budgets

Preston — Residents will be able to mix pleasure with business Thursday, enjoying the fifth annual Preston Palooza carnival-style fundraiser on the grounds of the Preston Veterans' Memorial School before going inside for the annual town meeting to discuss the proposed town and school budgets.

Preston Palooza, sponsored by the town Parks and Recreation Department and the school's parent-teacher organization, will run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature unlimited participation in carnival games, bounce house, inflatable slide, obstacle course, dunk tank and other children's activities. The $13 admission fee also includes one-time passes to the dinner barbecue and one pony ride for children. The school is at 325 Shetucket Turnpike-Route 165.

At 7:45 p.m., residents will discuss the proposed town and school budgets before sending them to referendum on June 12.

Following the May 17 public hearing on the town government and school budgets, the Board of Finance voted to cut $120,000 from each budget, and agreed to use $160,000 from the town's undesignated surplus fund to help balance the budget and lower the projected tax rate, Board of Finance Chairwoman Melissa Lennon said.

Prior to the cuts and the decision to use surplus funds, the finance board was projecting a 4-mill increase in the tax rate, although the actual financial impact would have been lower to the average taxpayer because of the townwide 4 percent drop in the grand list.

The updated town government budget of $3,496,000 is posted on the town website, www.preston-ct.org, along with the town meeting agenda. In addition to votes on the town government budget and school budget total, residents will be asked to approve use of the anticipated $199,569 state roadwork grant and the $51,631 local capital improvements grant from the state, along with the debt service total of $774,879 for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The Board of Selectmen last week made proposed cuts to the town government budget to absorb the $120,000 cut. The biggest cut involved the topic that dominated the May 17 public hearing discussion: police coverage. While most residents supported keeping the two resident state troopers, selectmen voted to cut $45,164 from the original proposed total of $370,830, which covered two troopers for the entire 2018-19 fiscal year.

First Selectman Robert Congdon said Tuesday the cut would leave the town with two resident troopers through most of the 2018-19 school year.

“And then we have to give the state police 30 days’ notice when we are about to run out of money,” Congdon said.

Raises for town employees were cut from 3 percent to 2 percent, saving $14,000, including Social Security and pension payments, Congdon said. Selectmen also cut $20,000 from the Preston Redevelopment Agency and $40,000 from the transfer station budget.

School Superintendent Roy Seitsinger said school officials still are reviewing the Board of Finance cut but have not made specific cuts.

“Until we have firm and final numbers set by the town meeting and voted on through the referendum process, we prefer not to speculate,” Seitsinger said.