Council Leaders: Partisan Politics Can’t be Part of Budget Process

There was a lot of disagreement and a split vote along party lines as the Board of Finance approved a tentative budget for 2012-13, but Council leadership said they don’t anticipate things being as heated when they begin addressing the budget for a final vote in early May.

Chairman Edward Pocock III, a Republican, and Minority Leader Christopher Palmieri each said there will be an added emphasis on reaching across the aisle to develop a budget that would keep taxes level and still maintain services.

“The bottom line is that over the last several years, the council has made a concerted effort to work across party lines and that remains a priority this year,” Pocock said. “Right now, when you look at the approved budget handed to us through the Board of Finance, it is in line with keeping the mill rate at or under one mill and we will work to keep it there.”

Revaluation hit the town hard in 2012, with property values declining between 8 and 10 percent on average. The grand list saw a near 9 percent decline as well, due in large part to the revaluation figures.

The steep decline in property values, paired with a tough economy, led to a heated debate on March 28 before the Board of Finance eventually for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The budget included $1.06 million in reductions from the initial proposals presented by Town Manager Garry Brumback and the Board of Education - $850,000 coming from the town’s general – but those reductions weren’t enough to satisfy Democrats Sandra Feld and Anthony Casale Jr.

“These residents are looking at an increase that could be 13 or even 15 percent. That’s a large increase to ask them to bear,” Casale said. “Do we need $1 million in new initiatives in this climate? How about half? There was no negotiating, the proposed budgets were simply rubber stamped.”

Palmieri said he doesn’t anticipate as much concern, although he said there is still a lot to do before the council will have the opportunity to vote on a final budget for the town.

“It will be important to look and see where cuts could be made and reviewing each line item to see what are needs and what are wants,” Palmieri said. “I will be interested to hear from the Board of Finance and to how they came to their final number. They’ve done their due diligence in recent years.”

Palmieri said he would also take the lead in reaching across the aisle and working directly with Pocock and the Republicans to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Although the figures after revaluation showed sharp declines, Pocock said the council will work to present a reasonable budget that, after any changes, would present an increase of under one mill to the adjusted mill rate.

Revaluation is a resetting of the books, Pocock said, and it means that the council needs to look at and adjusted mill rate to keep taxes level, not adjusting the budget to what the mill rate was before.

“The fact of the matter is everyone is getting hit a little bit and everyone is feeling the pain,” Pocock said. “The theme we are pushing, the goal we are trying to maintain is to keep the mill rate stable so that when we come out of this economic slump, the town will be in a better position than it was before.”

Both Pocock and Palmieri also encouraged residents to get involved in the process and make their voice heard when the council hosts a public hearing at the at 7 p.m. on April 23.