1996-02-22SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TOWN OF BERLIN
BUDGET HEARING
FEBRUARY 22, 1996
6,7
1. The meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m. by Mayor Ragazzi:
2. ROLL CALL: Those in attendance were £ouncilman Fred Jortner
£ouncilman Paul Argazzi
Councilman John McIntosh
Councilman Bruce Trevethan (7:00)
Councilman Arthur Powers
Councilman Thomas Veronesi (6:55}
Douncilman Ida Ragazzi
Councilman Mary dean Agostini
ABSENT: Douncilman Eileen Meskill
Also in attendance were: James D'Errico, I.T.M.
Gary Clinton, Finance Director
Mayor Ragazzi turned the meeting over to the Budget Dhairman, Fred Jortner.
Chairman J.~rtner stated that it is his hope that we can leave here tonight,
with an agreement on a budget, at least in principle, and we will adopt a budget
on Tuesday, February 27, lg96.
Chairman Jortner stated the budget that was received from Mr. D'Errico last week,
in his opinion, accurately reflects the needs of the community; it is the result
of many hours of give and take, negotiations between the Interim Town Manager
and Department Heads and many budget hearings with the council sub-committee
and department heads. He thinks this budget adequately provides for the services
of this community and, a little in there for some planning for the future, and,
in his opinion he would hope there are not a lot of wholesale ohan~es to this
budget.
Chairman Jortner opened the meeting up to the floor for discussion.
Councilman Powers then addressed the Council. During the executive session on
Tuesday they made comparisons to the grand list of 1986. Consequently, the
residential home owners (]an expect to bear a greater portion of %he tax rate
than they have this year. If we try this year to cut the budget so low, so that
we can say there is no tax increase, I think we're setting ourselves up next
year when we might see a substantial increase in the taxes that the residential
property owners will be paying. I think we have to be very careful before we
cut more money out of this year's budget, which will result in greater needs
in next year's budget, and the burden will not be divided as it is now between
residential and commercial, but will be tipped more toward the residential. I
ask that all of us be very very careful on what we cut out of the budget and
I think as Fred alluded to, we want to also plan for the future and we can't
plan for the future by not providing any dollars at all and then hoping next
year to come in with all the additional ~noney we need and then have the residential
tax payers bear the burden.
,qayor Ragazzi stated that the budget as presented is.3 ~enths of a mill, the cost
of living is 2.8, you can say that this almost amounts to a flat budget, because
it's only the contractual costs that are going into this budget.
Chairman Jortner stated that the actual increase is less than 2.8 percent in actual
dollars the increase is less, closer to 1 percent.
DISCUSSION:
Councilman Argazzi stated that,in his opinion, any tax increase is unacceptable.
Gary Clinton, Finance Director, stated at the end of the fiscal year we are going
to have around $120,000., left in the capital non-recurring fund, taking into con-
sideration interest on the money coming from the capital non-recurring fund.
Interim Town Manager, D'Errico stated that he has a major concern of the artificiality
of the proposals he has heard this evening. There is an attempt to back into a
figure which happens to be zero, which also happens to have no relationship to
neither the towns needs nor the board of education's needs as they have been presented
to the council by myself and/or the school superintendent.
Mr. E'Errico strongly recommended that the council not reduce the Board of Education
budget, predicated on the fact that none of us in this room, except Councilman
Veronesi, are educators. The cuts we have made in the Board of Education Budget
has been predicated on reality, fact and additional increases in funding. They
are not artificial.
078
Councilman Agostini stated that she felt they should look at the budget as a whole,
and if any additional cuts are necessary they should be made across the board.
That's the only fair way to do it, She can't see that out of $44 million dollars,
we cannot come up with a reduction of $250,000.
At this point, Chairman Jortner summed up by stating that it appears from the
comments made, that one group is looking for a zero tax increase and the other
group is looking to hold it to the manager's proposed budget.
Councilman Trevethan questioned Gary Clinton as to how much money is left in
surplus. Mr. Clinton replied, the amount is $2,270.000., of which $65,000., will
be expended for an oil tank, if passed at the Town Meeting of 2/27/96; so we will
have $2,205,000. A~d~another $400,000. toward next years budget will be deducted
from that amount, which leaves a balance of $1,805,000.
Chairman Jortner stated that from his perspective, the only area he would be willing
to compromise would be the $100,000., from the capital non-recurring fund. I know
it is not prudent to do that, but in order to move this process forward and get
some kind of consensus I would be willing to concede that; it would shave off a
lOth of a mill. Beyond that I'm not in favor of touching the Board of Education
or any of the other proposals.
-2-
Mayor Ragazzi stated that they have cut the budget almost $7,000,000. from the
original request by departments.
Councilman Trevethan said if we're shooting for a zero base, he is against touching
the Board of Education and the white collar position at the Town Garage, because
those will have an impact on the town in future years.
If you take $120,000., from the capital non-recurring fund and take $75,000., from
the General Insurance Fund, that would bring it down to $78,000., and I don't think
we should go any further than that. Councilman Trevethan stated that he has been
spending a lot of time on this budget and that is the lowest we should go.
Councilman Agostini stated that Councilman Trevethan's proposal has a lot of
merit, but feels we can still come up with the other $78,000.00.
Councilman McIntosh feels that since the Board of Education was not cut, they might
come up with the $78,000., from their budget.
Mr. D'Errico will speak to the Superintendent of Schools to see if they can find
a way for the Board of Education to cut its budget by another $78,000.
Councilman Argazzi made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Councilman
McIntosh.
The meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeanne G. Ward
Clerk of the Council
Ida M. Ragazc~_~