Tough Decisions Ahead for Stonington Board of Finance

The proposed budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year got a little smaller on Wednesday night when the Stonington Board of Finance began budget deliberations.

The proposed school budget for the 2013-2014-school year was $33.9 million and combined with the towns proposed $23.3 million budget represented a 1.1 mill rate increase over the 2012-2013 budget.

Board of Finance members declined to set a target mill rate as they have in past years. Instead, board members Dudley Wheeler and John O’Brien said they wanted to make cuts and see where they ended up. Board member Sandy Grimes said he wanted to be as close to a zero as possible.

“This has been very trying economic times,” Board of Finance Chair Glenn Frishman said.

The Board of Finance cut $50,000 for a student information center, $39,999 for an elevator shaft at Pawcatuck Middle School, $9,999 for blind and shade replacements at the schools, $11,999 for a mower, $5,000 for tile replacement at the schools and $5,000 for asbestos abatement at the schools.

That brought the mill rate down to 20.58, but the board continued to make cuts including cutting $60,000 for police cars.

By the end of the night the Board of Finance had cut $266,966 leaving the mill rate at about 20.52.

“The biggest cost we have is payroll,” Frishman said.

Budget deliberations continue next week when the board takes up the general government budget and looks at the funding to outside agencies.