Milford Mirror

Mayor Blake says taxes will stay "as close to flat as possible"

Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 17:00 Written by Jill K. Dion
Tuesday, 31 January 2012 16:54

Mayor Ben Blake, presenting his first budget as head of the city, said he hopes to “keep taxes as close to flat as possible” for the 2012-13 budget year.

There are still variables, such as state revenues and the city grand list, which are not yet final, so Blake couldn’t project an actual tax dollar increase.

But he pointed out that his spending plan for 2012-13 is the lowest in years, coming in at less than a 2% increase over the current year.

Blake on Tuesday unveiled a proposed city budget that outlines about $99.99 million in spending, compared to roughly $98.1 million in the current budget.

The proposed increase amounts to a 1.96% increase.

The Board of Education has come up with a spending plan of $86.88 million, compared to the current $85.45 million, for an increase of 1.67%.

Putting the two pieces of the budget puzzle together — city and schools — the total proposed budget stands at $186.88 million, compared to the current $183.53 million, for an overall projected hike of 1.82%.

Blake turned the pages of his budget proposal book at Milford City Hall Tuesday afternoon, pointing out that many of the city departments will receive less than in the current year under his plan. In some cases allocations are slightly higher or flat.

Employee benefits and debt payments are two exceptions, as those line items increase in the 2012-13 budget. But Blake said, regarding outstanding bonds, that the city is looking into refinancing some of them because interest rates are lower.

“I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish and I commend our city department heads for their commitment to the process and for their help in crafting this budget,” Blake said. “Our city departments rose to the challenge of streamlining operations and driving costs down.”

Funding for grant agencies, such as the Council on Aging, Bridges, the Human Services Department, Beth El Shelter, and the Boys & Girls Club, was not reduced but was left relatively flat compared to the current year. Blake said those agencies deal with people most in need, and he wanted to leave them unscathed.

“Those are most of our social services,” Blake said. “They serve as a safety net, and we tried to preserve them.”

There are no new positions in the budget plan, and no staff cuts either. Blake said he expects city services will remain at the same level of quality as they are now.

“What makes this budget all the more notable is that we were able to control spending in spite of significant increases in insurance, benefits, and our debt service obligations,” Blake said. “We did this while remaining committed to ensuring that our police, fire, health, and other public safety departments remain among the finest in the nation and that our social services network, which protects the most vulnerable of our citizens, remains fully intact. Further, the budget maintains the city’s public works and invests in Milford infrastructure.”

The grand list, which is the list of taxable property in the city, is usually prepared at this time and helps the mayor calculate the budget impact. However, because of complications from Tropical Storm Irene, the city assessor has been given a month’s extension to complete the list.

“In the end, expenses is the portion of the budget for which the city has most control, and the revenues aspect is always more difficult to contain,” Blake said. “In light of our state leaders’ recent assurances to keep existing municipal funding level and hold cities and towns harmless, we remain hopeful that state funding will remain intact. Furthermore, we are optimistic that our grand list will reflect our community’s stability.”

The mayor’s budget plan does not draw money from the city’s reserve account, as has been done in past years.

Funds could be moved from that reserve account as the budget process continues, but for now, Blake said, “as long as revenue from the state stays relatively flat, at this point we don’t need to go into that rainy day fund. We’ll save it for a true rainy day.”

Blake said his proposal takes into account expected savings in heating. He recently directed that all city buildings be fitted with programmable thermostats to keep heating costs down.

“It seemed no matter what time I came back to the office, the building was always fully heated,” Blake said. “I know in my house we turn the thermostat down in the evening or when no one will be home in order to save on heating costs. I expect at least the same in our city buildings.”

Blake said he discovered that not only City Hall but all city buildings were being heated to an average of 72 degrees, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Blake met with the city building superintendent and directed that all city buildings be fitted with programmable thermostats or energy conservation mechanisms within two weeks. This includes the Parsons Government Center, City Hall, the Fowler Memorial Building, West Shore Recreation Center, Margaret Egan Center, the Board of Health building, Fannie Beach, Stern Hall, the library, and the Senior Center.

While definite cost savings numbers are not yet available, Blake expects to save tens of thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs over the next year.

There will be a public hearing on the city and school budgets Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at Milford City Hall, where residents will be able to comment on the plans.

The mayor said a copy of the budget will be posted on the city’s website, www.ci.milford.ct.us.

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