By John Nickerson
Staff Writer
March 28, 2006
NORWALK -- Residents will get their first chance to comment on the city's proposed $250.5 million budget at a City Hall hearing at 7:30 tomorrow night.
The proposed 6.8 percent spending increase in the upcoming budget would translate into a nearly $200 tax hike for the average homeowner in the city's Fourth Taxing District.
Additional spending in the recommended budget means that taxes charged to residents and businesses would rise by $11 million. The increase was initially higher, but the Board of Estimate and Taxation whittled down requests from city departments by $10 million.
City officials are considering spending another $12.8 million on capital building projects and equipment not included in the operating budget. The proposal would increase spending on city authorized construction and improvement projects by $2.5 million.
The BET's recommended operating budget cap allows for hiring 10 additional city employees -- three police officers, a dispatch supervisor, a grants coordinator, an aquifer protection officer, recreation and parks secretary, a collector of delinquent taxes, a lawyer in the corporation counsel's office and a staff member to help with Freedom of Information Act requests in the Building Department and Planning and Zoning Department.
The three new officers and dispatch supervisor account for much of the additional $500,000 recommended for the police department.
Tax Collector Lisa Biagiarelli estimated a new collector of delinquent taxes in her office would bring in more than $2 million during the next five years.
"I'm gratified that the new administration considers tax collection a priority," said Biagiarelli, who has unsuccessfully requested the extra hand in her office for the past six years.
Debt service payments, one of the largest spending increases, would grow $3.3 million to $20.7 million, one of the largest budget increases this year. Much of the increase would go to pay off bonds for millions of dollars in school renovations and construct of the $24 million police headquarters.
After the BET trimmed $1.3 million off the Board of Education's budget request last week, education spending is now recommended to increase $4.6 million to $137.3 million. Last week, Superintendent Salvatore Corda said the increase is the smallest he has proposed in the past five years.
Corda said he planned to roll an expected $1.6 million left over from the current year into the 2006-07 budget.
Provided health-care costs do not escalate much in the coming year, Corda said the Board of Education could live with the $1.3 million cut.
Health insurance costs for city employees are expected to rise 10 percent next year, sending employee benefit spending up $1.7 million to $18.6 million.
Contributions to police, fire and municipal employee pension funds are trending upward because the city is no longer getting large returns on its pension investments. Spending on pension contributions is expected to rise $1.3 million to $3.2 million.
Costs associated with heating fuel, natural gas, gasoline and electricity is expected to increase 34 percent or $650,000 compared with last year.
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