Not Many People Attend Windsor Locks Budget Public Hearing Thursday

A small crowd attended Thursday’s public hearing on Windsor Locks’ proposed 2012-13 $44.49 million budget.

The spending plan represents a 3.27 percent increase over the current budget, officials said.

Cornelius O’Leary, board of finance chairman, said town officials worked hard to craft a budget within the financial limits of the town.

“We felt most of the requests were valid,” O’Leary said. “It was just a question of whether we could afford it.”

O’Leary said the Grand List, which measures the value of all taxable property in the town, saw an increase of 1.3 percent. The town has lost revenue because the state has prohibited it from collecting taxes on manufacturing and equipment, the kinds of businesses officials had worked hard to attract to Windsor Locks, he said.

“There was really no discretionary increase inside,” O’Leary said. “It’s pretty much a stand still budget.”

The current tax rate is 23.4 mills. The proposed budget would raise the tax rate 0.87 mills to 24.27 mills.

O’Leary said the average assessed value of homes in Windsor Locks is $125,000 and $150,000. The $125,000 home would see a $109 annual increase and a $150,000 home would see a $130 annual increase, he said.

The largest part of the budget is for the board of education, which also has the largest proposed increase.

Superintendent of Schools Wayne Sweeney said 94 percent of the proposed increased is “not in our control.” That part of the increase for contractual obligations including employee salaries, utility costs and supply costs, he said.

The proposal does have $159,000 in new initiatives in the budget, Sweeney said. One of the proposals is to extend the school day and the school year for students whom data shows need help, he said.

The other is to create multiple pathways for students’ education besides magnet schools in Bloomfield and Hartford, Sweeney said. The program would create opportunities such as taking classes at Asnuntuck Community College to experience what college is like, Sweeney said.

The budget will allow the school system to implement the initiatives and not have to reduce personnel, Sweeney said.

Michael Jordan, who lives on Debra Road, said he had previously served as a member of the board of finance and never pictured himself speaking at hearing saying “no increase in taxes, no increase in property taxes.”

“We are getting hammered by the federal government, we’re getting hammered by the state,” Jordan said. “We cannot afford any more taxes. $120 increase three years in a row, that adds up pretty quickly.”

O’Leary said he can fully understand what Jordan was saying.

“It’s a tough time,” he said.