Jackson Pitches Budget Increase to Council

Mayor Scott Jackson proposed his 2012-13 budget Thursday night that includes an $11.2 million increase that translates to a mill rate hike from 34.7671 to 36.8498.

The proposed $192,125,812 budget is an increase of $11,255,211 over the current $180,870,601 budget. Of those numbers, the Board of Education is about $80 million.

The proposal means a tax increase of about $351 for the average homeowner, Jackson told the Legislative Council during his address at the Thornton Wilder Auditorium.

The council will hold a hearing on the school budget March 27 at 7 p.m. at Hamden Middle School, and one on the town budget April 3, same time, same place.

The increase means that homeowners would pay $36.84 for every $1,000 their home is assessed at, meaning if a property has a $200,000 assessment, the tax bill would be 200 x $36.84, or $7,368. Under the current 34.76 mill rate, that bill is $6,952.

About $7 million of the increase is in retirement benefits, Jackson said, and an additional $2 million for medical benefits. 

The Board of Education would receive only about $185,000 more than the current year's budget, which Supt. of Schools Fran Rabinowitz said almost surely means layoffs.

"It would be an absolute miracle to avoid layoffs," she said after the address, "and that is something we haven't said before.

"These are very, very difficult financial times and I understand that," she said, "but it will be incredibly difficult for us to move through the next year with that funding."

The school board has received a less than 1 percent increase in each of the last four years, which makes it more difficult, she said.

But unless the town takes drastic steps, it could find itself in the same situation as Bridgeport in the early 1990's when then-Mayor Mary Moran filed for bankruptcy protection, an unheard of step for a municipality.

"Unless we build our own future right now, we could face the same predicament in just a few years," Jackson told the council. "I do not say that to be an alarmist, I say that to frame the importance of the decisions you will be tasked with over the next several weeks as you make these budgetary decisions."

That's why it's necessary to make such hefty contributions to the pension fund, he said, and in the future to consider such painful decisions as to eliminate expensive services such as trash pickup.

"While I have not proposed a significant change to residential pickup in this budget, I can foresee a time when the mayor, the Legislative Council and residents adopt a model closer to that of Wallingford, where residents pay for disposal," he said.

"In order to assure Hamden's future as the place we know and love, we need to initiate a new civic compact," Jackson said, "one that embraces our shared values and shared vision, and begins to strategize the most efficient way to proceed...a new civic compact that acknowledges the significant issues on the horizon and provides balance and perspective to what we believe to be our immediate needs."

Of the $11,255,211 increase:

• $836,509 goes to the town side of the budget;
• $185,000 to the Board of Education;
• $1,049,702 towards debt service, and
• $8,184,000 to fringe benefits.

Highlights of the budget include:

• An Early Retirement Incentive Program that will target between 12 and 17 employees. He doesn't want to see any layoffs, Jackson said, but if the program doesn't attain expected savings, it is a possibility;
• Combining the Planning and Zoning and Building departments into one office with extended hours, which will eliminate the need for temporary staffing;
• The re-establishment of a Traffic Department that will focus on implementing traffic calming measures;
• Increased road repairs and sewer improvements;
• Contributions to build the Medical Self-Insurance Fund as recommended by the town's consultant.

"We can no longer look at taxes as transactional," Jackson said. "We must begin to look at taxes through the prism of investing in a livable community with long-term viability."