The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Tax hike proposal draws objection
TORRINGTON — Torrington’s 2020-21 municipal spending proposal was debated and agonized over by members of the City Council and Board of Finance Monday, during a special meeting on Zoom.
Since last week, when the municipal budget was proposed at $57.81 million, Mayor Elinor Carbone has reduced the proposal by $1.6 million. But it’s still showing an increase of 2.5 percent, which, along with the schools budget, would increase the city’s tax rate from
46.17 mills to 46.99 mills.
The Board of Education’s proposed $78.30 million budget initially reflected an increase of nearly 5 percent over current spending. Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski said recently that 94 percent of the budget is contractual obligations: salary, benefits, tuition and transportation. The school district is still trying to find more areas in which to reduce spending.
More than 40 people signed on to hear the budget discussion Monday, while officials spent the first portion of the meeting reading public comments.
Some residents said they were against the Board of Education’s proposed budget, and suggested reducing the number of administrators in the school district to save money. Others wrote in favor of a renovation project for Torrington High School, as well as the 2020-21 school budget, and asked the city to minimize cuts to proposed spending in the school district.
Others spoke in favor of more funding for the Torrington Fire Department for training and equipment, saying its members are paying for their own training and that the city should provide money for those expenses. Still others asked the city to consider upgrading the firehouses.
The proposed municipal budget for 2020-21 was $60 million in March. Not long after it was first discussed, the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the state, and Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order saying towns could “stay” their budget process for 30 days. Carbone and the City Council voted to continue evaluating the city and school budgets.
“We have been doing everything in accordance with executive orders, while staying as close as possible to our regular budget procedures,” Carbone said. “On April 20, the City Council agreed not to extend the budget process . ... No action was taken on proposed spending for the city budget.”
By mid-April, Carbone and her municipal department heads had pared the city budget down to $57.81 million. “Our goal was to get to a 2.5 percent increase, so it won’t impact our mill rate,” the mayor said.
Since then, the proposed budget has been reduced to $56 million. The latest reductions include eliminating a proposed facilities manager for the public works department, combining part-time positions, and removing vacant positions. Carbone also adjusted spending on several capital projects, such as repairs to the West Center Bridge. Her cuts totaled $1.16 million.
But, she said Monday, she’s still looking to cut $525,000 to reach an increase of only 2.5 percent.
“That means more line items,” she told the group during Monday’s Zoom meeting. “We’ll work with all department heads to see if there are any other line items that can be identified. But at this point, those line items are bodies. Those items are jobs.”
The mayor said a 2.5 percent increase would bring the city’s tax rate up to 46.99 mills.
“When I say 2.5 percent, that’s between the city and the Board of Education,” Carbone said. “That would be based on our revenues, including taking $2.6 million from our fund balance, and $1.4 million from the city’s internal service fund. We’re nowhere near avoiding an impact on the mill rate.”
Members of both boards talked about combining services between the city and the school district to save money.
“As we look at our financial situations, are there areas where we can consolidate and find leverage, to get rid of redundancy?” asked finance board member Lance Boynton.
Carbone said such an idea had been discussed many times in the past. “I have had numerous meetings to find a way to make that happen, and the challenge is to find one office, within either of our department headquarters, that we can work with,” she said. “It has been increasingly difficult to make that happen.”
Boynton also wondered whether working from home, a necessity that has become normal during the coronavirus pandemic, would be used long-term as a way to save money.
Council member Anne Ruwet also spoke in favor of combined services. “We’ve been talking about shared services . ... I strongly support revisiting that,” she said. “We’re in such a different environment now. It’s time for the city and the school board to look into it.”
Ruwet also said any tax increase for taxpayers this year was “unacceptable.”
“I don’t think the people of Torrington are ready for an increase of any sort,” she said. “So at this point, the budget(s) need a deeper look.”
Both boards agreed. Toward the end of the meeting, they discussed extending the budget comment period to June 2. Then the City Council and Board of Finance would have until June 15 to approve the budgets and set the tax rate. That time frame also gives the mayor and the school board more time to reduce the budgets.
“That’s bringing us close to the end of the month, for our tax assessor and tax collector to get the tax bills out before June 30,” Carbone said.
Finance board member Lorraine Pesce pointed to a discussion with local unions. “I’d like to know the City Council’s view on asking unions for a deferral on wage and salary increases,” she said, bringing up a topic that has been discussed before, but never acted upon.
“Wages and contracts were negotiated before the COVID-19 (pandemic),” Boyton said. “Before the next (union) negotiations, we should bring our lessons learned, so we’re not in the situation, using the rhetoric of ‘contractual obligations’ that just might not be achievable. We’re in very unique times (because of the pandemic).”
Copies of the proposed city and board of education budgets can be found at www.torringtonct.org. A copy of the budgets can also be emailed; contact the City Clerk at 860-489-2241 or city_clerk@torringtonct.org. The public is invited to submit written comments and questions on the budget to city_clerk@torringtonct.org.
The City Council is meeting again Thursday with the Board of Education to hear a presentation on a proposed renovation to Torrington High School. Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski first made the presentation on the aging high school in early April.