Public Hearing On Windsor Locks Budget Draws Modest Crowd

By KIM VELSEY, kvelsey@courant.comThe Hartford Courant

7:22 p.m. EDT, April 20, 2011

The board of finance presented its 2011-12 budget proposal of $43.1 million to a small crowd at Tuesday night's public hearing.

The budget represents a 0.38 percent increase over last year's $42.9 million budget. If approved, it would require a tax increase of 0.97 mills, or 4.19 percent, bringing the tax rate to 24.12 mills, according to board Chairman Con O'Leary.

Cuts in state funding — particularly in the payment in lieu of taxes for manufacturing machinery and equipment — had the biggest effect on the budget, according to O'Leary. Even with new revenue that would be generated under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's plan to allow municipalities to tax hotel rooms and car rentals, the net loss for the town would be about $1 million, O'Leary said.

The 2010 grand list of assessed property increased by $9.07 million. But between 1998 and 2010, the percentage of the grand list that businesses accounted for dropped from 54 percent to 34 percent.

"The business owners have received a break and the homeowner has picked up the load," said O'Leary. "That's part of the revenue problem."

Medical, utility and fuel costs are higher in the proposed budget, but capital improvement spending falls from this year's $1 million to $615,700. General government, public safety, health and welfare spending all had small decreases, ranging from 0.02 percent to 1.33 percent.

Much of the discussion at the hearing centered on the $27.3 million education budget. The amount represents a 1.48 percent increase, less than the school board had requested, but enough to be educationally responsible, said Superintendent Wayne Sweeney.

Several residents questioned costs related to keeping class sizes small when test scores have not improved. Sweeney said that current class sizes have been backed by research and are consistent with similar towns.

Paul Fortier, who said his daughter was a junior at the high school, expressed support for the schools.

"Every year, there's a band-aid, every year we look at what can get passed," said Fortier. "The fact of life is, if we want to have these services in town, it comes with a bill."

"I think this was a positive reaction," O'Leary said after the presentation. "I think the reason that people didn't come out is because they're reasonably satisfied."

Board members said that they did not expect to make any significant changes to the budget before the annual town meeting, which is scheduled for May 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Windsor Locks high school auditorium.