The mayor's original proposal was for a General Fund city budget of $170,321,438 that would have meant a mill rate increase of 3.6 mills from 34.8 to 38.4 mills.
The budget passed unanimously by the Common Council is for a total of $165,845,140 instituting a mill rate of 36 mills, and increase of 1.2 mills from 34.8.
According to Board of Education sources, the increase received was $4,239,563 or 5.08% higher than last year's budget. The original BOE request was for $7,356,168 or 8.8%. The General Fund increase does not account for nearly a million dollars in health insurance savings that the city has promised the Board of Ed, nor the increase in ECS funding (Alliance Grant) from the state, which may only be spent on proscribed expenditures requiring evidence of advances in achievement by the city schools.
Of note, the City of Middletown's Fire Department budget decreased moving the mill rate down from 9.2 to 8.4 mills.
7 comments:
So. I can look forward to another tax hike.
My taxes have increased in I forget how many years. Oh!!! I remember. How long have we had this Mayor and Democratic majority on our council.
To anonymous, yes the vote on the budget does mean a tax hike of about 1.2 mills. The problem is not the 5.6 million allocated to the Board of Education this year; the problem is that ALL years to follow the minimum allocation must be at least 5.6 million-that is my problem with this particuar allocation. This also means a one mil or so increase each year-this is NOT sustainable.
Bought a house in Middletown almost twenty years ago. My taxes have almost doubled.
Editor's note, Kleckowski voted in favor of passing the budget. She is correct, there is a minimum funding clause, but there are extenuating circumstances in which that minimum can be overturned. For example, if enrollment falls below a certain level, the city can pass a lower budget.
Deb, Thanks for your reply and bringing up a good point. As most I see our BOD as top heavy with salaries. Not enough of our money trickles down to the kids, though its portrayed that "Its for the kids". Teachers spend alot of their own money for classroom and student supplies. And the BOD knows it and depends on it
I think Ms. Kleckowski's math is faulty. Next year she could vote for a zero dollar increase for the BOE budget. If that happened there would be no need for any increase in the mill rate, unless there is a decrease in the grand list. Same money in, same money out.
Although it would be nice to think that there will not be an increase in the requested BOE budget for next year that would be unreasonable. (As it was, Ms. Kleckowski did vote for a zero increase to the BOE budget this year which did not pass.) The BOE's Middletown 2021 Keys to Innovation and Equity is a three year plan with many more changes, launches, realignments and programs scheduled for implementation in 2020/2021 year. It is foolhardy to think that those will occur within the current budget; an increase in next year's BOE budget is guaranteed.
Post a Comment