Budget April 29, 2013 JRN 300 Spring 631 words By MEGAN LAWRENCE Staff Writer

WATERBURY- Taxes in the city will being going up under the proposed 2013-14 budget due to the recent revaluation on Oct. 1, 2012. Mayor Neil M. OLeary proposed 2013-14 budget spending is remaining the same as the last fiscal years at $382,195,412 as he promised when the budget preparation cycle began last December, but the citys mill rate will increase from 41.82 to the proposed 58.10, an increase of 16.28, come July 1st. OLeary stated in his letter of budget submittal that he will be working with the Board of Alderman to contend with the issue of the revaluation, and together they will decide is the city should do a one-time implement of the revaluation or if they should phase it in. Either choice will cause the mill rate to go up from the current 41.82. We have made available to the public the fact that if it is implemented in one year it would necessitate a mill rate of 58.10, said OLeary. A phase-in of revaluation would carry a lower mill rate but it would not be without its challenges as well. However the city decides to implement the most revaluation it will still cause the -more-

Lawrence/Budget Rewrite ad1 mill rate to increase, which means tax payers will be paying more come next year. The mayor was able to keep the proposed 2013-14 budget the same as the previous year by working with a committee that he put together that meet with department heads to closely monitor expenditures. With the mill rate expected to rise from 41.82 to 58.10 next year, and the average FMV for homes in the city at $415,000, taxes will rise from $12,142 a year to $16,878 a year; an increase of $4,736 a year, a big cost in a struggling economy. The citys education budget is staying the same in the mayors proposed 2013-14 budget at $155,625,000. The departments request for an additional $7 million to be added to their budget was rejected by the mayors office. The education department will receive approximately $11.3 million in additional grant funding from the State of Connecticut this year, with the money being used for infrastructure as the Waterbury Career Academy is in the process of being built. The public safety departments will be under-going big cuts in the mayors proposed budget with the both the police and fire departments receiving a $326,885 cut from employee salaries. The fire department will also get a cut of $625,350 from its budget in overtime pay for employees. The police department however will receive an additional $25,000 in overtime pay for its employees.

Lawrence/Budget Rewrite ad 2 The parks department budget is going to be cut by $56,499, with the biggest cut being $50,000 from sewer services, taking the budget from $125,000 annually to $75,000. The recreation budget is staying the same as the previous fiscal at $900,344. Other items increasing in the mayors proposed budget for 2013 -14 is health insurance sky rocketing by $3,000,001 and debt services also receiving and additional $500,000. The single line item going down the most in the budget is the fire department by $1,218,586. Also the $100,000 that the city contributes to golf courses in the city has been cut completely in the proposed budget. The mayor stated that this years budget proposal did not come together easily due to different factors going on right now, but despite the challenges he got it done, and is happy to report that while cities across the state have had to reduce services and lay off employees in an effort to compensate budget short falls, Waterbury did not have to take any of those drastic measures. This years budget development process was particularly difficult due to several factors, including revaluation, the continued sluggish economy and changes to the state aid package in the governors proposed budget, said OLeary. -xxx-