First Selectman’s $24M Proposed 2014-15 Budget Online

First Selectman Edward Haberek Jr.’s proposed 2014-2015 budget -- $23,695,478 -- represents a 1.87 percent over last year’s spending plan. The budget includes all municipal operations and debt service. The full line-by-line budget is online here.

The Board of Finance examines, and perhaps whittles away, the budget Feb. 5, Feb. 12 and Feb. 26. Final deliberations for the town and school’s budgets ($30.5 million 2014-2015, which represents a 4 percent increase over last year) are slated for March 12 and possibly in subsequent weekly meetings. The full budget goes to the public at Stonington High School on April 10 at 7 p.m.

 Haberek bullets his goals for the future in proposed budget:

·       Create new and enhance existing Recreation programs by offering and promoting access to all Town fields.

·       Provide assistance to residents enrolling in Affordable Healthcare Act programs and continue to provide elderly residents with Medicare counseling, reviewing their options for insurance with a certified, on-site CHOICES counselor.

·       Continue to pursue on-line program registration and payment capabilities.

·       Continue to offer supportive programming opportunities, such as free budget counseling, which assist residents in securing stability and regaining self-sufficiency.

·       Continue to pursue grants/donations and implement self sustaining programming.