Stonington Residents Vote Today On The $55.3 Million Town Budget

Today is the day to vote on the $55.3 million Stonington town budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Time And Locations: Polls are open in three voting districts from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Districts One and Three vote at the at 100 Main St., in Stonington Borough.

District Two votes at the at 33 Liberty St. in Pawcatuck

Districts Four and Five vote at the B.F. Hoxie Engine Company at the at 34 Broadway Avenue in Mystic.

At Stake:

The town proposed $55,276,098 budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The recommended budget beginning on July 1, 2011 would set the mill rate at 15.63 a .20 mills or a 1.28 percent increase from the 2010-2011 fiscal year. A property owner with a home assessed at $250,000 would see an increase in their annual tax bill of $50.

Here is the budget breakdown by department for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. A complete copy of the recommended budget is available on the Town of Stonington website.

• Office of the Selectman: $900,415
• Department of Administrative Services: $3,715,339
• Department of Finance $1,495,394
• Debt Service: $4,405,254
• Department of Planning & Land Use: $379,527
• Department of Public Works: $6,066,455
• Department of Police Services $4,551,893
• Department of Human Services $968,355
• Board of Education: $31,900,913
• Schedule C Land, Buildings, Improvements & Equipment: $892,553
• Total Expenditures: 55,276,098

Points Of Controversy:

Throughout the budget process the four budget items residents voiced the most concerns over were:

Reduction Of Planning and Zoning Enforcement Position From Full-Time To Half-Time: First Selectman Edward Haberek made the recommendation to the Board of Finance as part of 29 line item cuts he made when the board asked him to come up with an additional $150,000 to cut. The reduction in hours saves the town $29,436 in salary expenses from last year. and say the reduction in hours will mean an inefficient system that could hinder an economic recovery. saying the cut is a and won’t result in inefficiencies as there are others who can perform the zoning enforcement officer’s duties.

Ambulance Services Funding: The recommended budget calls for $15,000 each in budget cuts to the Stonington Ambulance Corps, Mystic River Ambulance Association and Westerly Ambulance Corps. A divided Board of Finance recommended the cuts saying the services operate as a .

Mystic & Noank Library Funding: The three libraries that serve Stonington residents—Stonington Free Library, Westerly Library and Mystic & Noank Library—were level funded from last year’s budget in the reccommeded budget. However, over to increase funding to the Mystic & Noank Library.

Reduction Of Human Services Youth Services Program Coordinator Position From Full-Time To Half-Time: The youth services program coordinator position in the recommended budget was Haberek cut when the Board of Finance asked him to come up with an additional $150,000 to cut. The reduction in hours saves the town $10,470 in salary expenses from last year, but a portion of afternoon programs will be cut.

Results:

Polls close at 8 p.m. and results, once announced at Town Hall, will be posted on Stonington-Mystic Patch, on our Facebook page, and tweeted.