Region 15, town budget hearings next week

#MIDDLEBURY #

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

The Region 15 budget hearing Monday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pomperaug High School (PHS) AP Room will be the last opportunity Middlebury and Southbury taxpayers will have to comment on the proposed 2017-2018 school budget, which is $67.5 million, a .79-percent increase over the current budget. This compares to last year’s 2.6-percent increase.

Tuesday, April 4, Middlebury taxpayers can attend Middlebury’s town budget public hearing, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the fire house at 65 Tucker Hill Road. At that hearing, the Middlebury Board of Finance will present the proposed 2017-2018 town budget of $10.6 million. This budget is 1.95-percent higher than the current $10.4 million budget. Last year, the adopted budget increase was 2.6 percent. If both the town and school budgets were to pass as is, Middlebury’s mil rate would increase to 31.49 mil from 31.01 mil.

This year, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed state budget is presenting unique challenges to towns. A report issued by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities states municipal aid statewide will decrease by $363 million, or 11.4 percent versus the current budget.

Middlebury specifically would see a 49.2-percent net reduction of $655,505. Malloy proposes to reduce Middlebury’s Education Cost Sharing grant by $733,686, or 85.8 percent, to $121,400 from $855,086, and cut the $84,264 funding for municipal projects to zero. His budget also calls for the town to contribute for the first time ever to the Region 15 teachers’ retirement fund, at a cost of $1.03 million.

The town’s state revenues would increase $986,640 for special education, $101,849 in LoCIP funds, $67,810 in MRSF Revenue Sharing, $35,848 in PILOT funds, and $165 from the Pequot-Mohegan, making the net loss in revenues $655,505.

The proposed town budget does not incorporate this potential revenue loss. First Selectman Edward B. St. John said that’s because there’s no indication when the legislature will vote on Malloy’s budget. “It’s our feeling many of those cuts will not stand,” St. John said. “To ask our taxpayers to pay for costs that may be cut isn’t fair.” He said the proposed budget is a best guess on what the town will be getting from the state.

In Region 15, the budget continues to increase despite decreasing enrollment. Enrollment at Region 15 has dropped to 3,744 students in 2016-17 from 4,454 students in 2010-11, a loss of 812 students over six years. The numbers are based on enrollment as of Oct. 1 each year.

Middlebury’s share of the 2017-2018 Region 15 budget will drop slightly, to 31.9 percent from 32.1 percent while Southbury’s share will rise slightly, to 68.1 percent from 67.9 percent. Middlebury’s enrollment dropped to 1,194 students this year from 1,223 last year while Southbury’s dropped to 2,550 from 2,589. Overall, the district lost 68 students with enrollment dropping to 3,744 students from 3,812 students.

Increases in the Region 15 budget will go to replacing aging technology, additional Chromebook carts, new courses and textbooks at Pomperaug High School, new social studies curriculum for Kindergarten through grade 8, restoration of health teachers at middle schools, funding of increased fixed costs and unanticipated contingencies.

Middlebury and Southbury voters will head to the polls Wednesday, May 3, to vote on the Region 15 budget and their respective town budgets.