Town Budget Will Wait on State Decisions
By Wiley Wood

At a budget meeting of Norfolk’s Board of Finance, Chairman Michael Sconyers reviewed the town’s spending projections for 2015-2016, snipping away a few thousand here and a few thousand there, in the end reducing the selectmen’s proposal by $70,000.

“I’m desperate to do a tax decrease this year,” said Sconyers. “Last year we raised taxes by 10 percent.” He was referring to a two-point jump in the mil rate, from 20 to 22 mils. Currently, every property owner in Norfolk pays town taxes of $22 per $1,000 of assessed property.

Sconyers argued for the board to grant Botelle School a zero increase over last year’s allocation.  Northwest Regional 7’s budget has a 3.25% increase, but Norfolk’s bill for the high school would go down because of a lower student enrollment.

While the high school’s budget will go to referendum on May 5, Sconyers warned that uncertainties at the state and local level might force a postponement of the town budget.

In normal years, the budget is presented to the town on the last Monday in April and put to a vote at the annual town meeting two weeks later, on the second Monday in May.

But with a large deficit to make up and an ambitious transportation plan to fund, Governor Dannell Malloy has proposed a state budget with huge cuts to social services and town aid. While the legislature wrangles, the town’s Board of Finance can only guess at what it will receive in state funding.

“The state budget is not even a work in progress,” said Michael Sconyers, “it’s a disaster.”

Funding for education is uncertain, according to Sconyers, as is the extent of state support for the resident trooper program. “We don’t know if we’re going to have a resident trooper,” says Sconyers. The decision will be made by the town’s voters at the May 11 town meeting.

While Sconyers pared down many items in the town budget, he left spending for road repair at $415,000, level with last year’s allocation. First Selectman Sue Dyer has earmarked half of that to repair Blackberry Street, which is slumping dangerously. Repairs to the town’s remaining roads will be drastically scaled back.

He also left untouched the capital reserve account, which rose 50 percent this year to $146,000. Considering the selectmen’s capital plan, says Sconyers, “we’re underfunded. We’ve got to think about replacing trucks, fire trucks, all sorts of things.” The town is making its last payment in November on the fire department’s most recent pumper but has made no commitment to replace either of two trucks declared a problem by the Public Works Department.

Sconyers did raise the possibility of funding a utility truck for the fire department at around the $28,000 level. The department had requested $125,000 for the purpose.

Turning to the Botelle School budget, Sconyers praised Superintendent Iacobelli for the clarity of her presentation. He described the requested small increase as seemingly innocuous. But he claimed that the school saw substantial savings from the retirement of senior teachers and the renegotiation of its busing contract. “To me, they’re increasing staff positions, they’re building staff into their budget, that’s going to be there forever,” said Sconyers, asking for a zero increase in funding. The board supported him in a unanimous vote.

At its next meeting, the board will consider whether town employees are to receive a 3 percent wage increase this year. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” said Sconyers, “but no one in my office got a 3 percent raise. It’s not nice out there, the economy.”

Noting that the state is unlikely to pass a budget until well after Norfolk’s scheduled budget hearing and town meeting (on April 27 and May 11 respectively, at 7 p.m. at the Botelle School Hall of Flags), Sconyers said it was unlikely he would have a budget to take to town meeting. “I don’t see it happening,” he said. “And I don’t think it would be responsible to pass a budget without knowing what the heck the state is going to do.”