By Susan MacEachron

The Board of Finance (BoF) approved a town budget of $7.7 million for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 at its meeting on April 19.  The budget total represents an annual increase of approximately four percent. However, the tax increase will be 3.55 percent because the grand list, which represents the taxable base, has increased over last year. 

Slightly over half of the budget is dedicated to education, including the Botelle School budget of $2.4 million, a $25,910 decrease due to the reduction of one teaching position.  Botelle expects to have about 65 students next year from pre-K through sixth grade.  To manage the small student body, classes are consolidated on a multi-age model combining pre-K and kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth and now, for the first time, fifth and sixth.  

BoF Chair Michael Sconyers pressed school board representatives Ann DeCerbo and John DeShazo and School Superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli to pursue consolidation with Colebrook.  DeCerbo noted that the Norfolk school board has been looking for ways to work together and said the sixth-grade class did its capstone field trip with Colebrook. She said that after Colebrook voted down the consolidation plan it has been focused on improving its school building.  Sconyers suggested they might be more amenable to a proposal to bring Norfolk students to Colebrook versus the plan for Colebrook students to come to Norfolk.

The Northwestern Regional 7 (RSD7) budget of $22.9 million represents a 2.45 percent increase.  Norfolk has approximately 70 students attending RSD7, and its contribution to the budget will be $1.7 million. While the Norfolk middle and high school population has remained steady, Barkhamsted and New Hartford have decreased by 24 and 34 students, respectively.  Consequently, Norfolk’s students represent a greater percentage of the total budget resulting in a 6.43 percent increase of $103,529.  RSD7 was named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School for exemplary performance by the U.S. Department of Education.

Infrastructure work and purchases of equipment are the main drivers behind increases to the half of the town budget dedicated to everything other than education.  First Selectman Matt Riiska noted that the town has borrowed to cover the cost of the two bridges under repair, River Place and Mountain Road.  The 10-year loan has added $113,000 of debt service to the annual budget.  The town also carries debt for the Emergency Medical Services building and several vehicles.

One point of contention at the BoF meeting was the plan to convert the existing 1999 tanker truck to a plow truck at a cost of $120,000.  It has been determined that the leaking tank cannot be fixed, and the town has approved the purchase of a new tanker truck that is expected to be delivered in early 2023.

Jeff Torrant, a BoF member, questioned the wisdom of spending such a significant sum on a 23-year-old truck.  Riiska responded that the truck only has 15,000 miles on it and is in good shape.  Sconyers said the matter had been discussed at previous meetings and called for a vote on the proposed budget, which was approved.