Danbury Mayor Proposes $261.5 Million Budget with No Tax Increase

DANBURY, CT — Mayor Mark Boughton presented his 2019-20 budget to the City Council this week, and although its $261.5 million bottom line is $4.5 million more than the current spend, the proposed property tax rate remains unchanged.

With the mill rate holding at 27.60, Boughton noted that some two-car households might even see a decrease in their taxes, due to their vehicles' lower assessment value this year.

Nevertheless, Boughton pulled no punches when hammering Hartford, saying that he felt constrained to keep city taxes in check because, "Our taxpayers are going to be facing unprecedented burdens that I don't think we have seen from the State of Connecticut."

Boughton took a shot at tolls, which Connecticut is mulling implementing along some of the state's major highways.

"If you commute to Danbury, or live in Danbury and commute out, you're going to be asked to pay more. The average family will probably be asked to pay around 600-700 dollars a year by the State of Connecticut" in tolls, Boughton estimated.

The mayor also railed against unfunded mandates from the state which include an ordinance dictating municipalities must test the water coming out of their catch basins. Boughton estimated that the additional personnel required for compliance would cost Danbury around $600,000.

These hardships would be felt keenly by the city in part because,"Fifty percent of our children live below the poverty line in the City of Danbury," Boughton said.

Teachers' pension funds, into which local municipalities will now have to contribute, also landed beneath the Republican mayor's crosshairs. According to Boughton, that commitment will be $500 thousand the first year, $700 tousand the second, and $1.3 million dollars in the third year.

"Where does that money come from?" Boughton asked.

The major drivers of Boughton's budget are the usual players: education, salaries, benefits and pensions.

Here is how Boughton proposes to allocate the tax money Danbury collects in the 2019-20 fiscal year:

• 51.6% Board of Education
• 15.6% Pensions and Other Benefits
• 14.4% Public Safety
• 4.1% Public Works Program
• 4.1% General Government Program
• 1.7% Transfers Out
• 1.2% Cultural and Recreational Activities
• 0.9% Health and Welfare
• 0.1% Contingency Fund

The Board of Education's allocation accounts for $134.4 million of the budget, or $5.2 million more than this year. The district is getting $2.2 million more in local funding, and another $2.4 million more in Alliance grant funding.

Boughton highlighted numerous public improvements which the budget accommodates, including Taser replacements and upgraded communications equipment for the Police Department. The cops can take those Tasers along with them on the increased number of patrols the mayor's spending plan envisions during the summer months. The budget also anticipates improving the runways at Danbury airport, using mostly federal funds, and buying a rescue vessel accessible to both police and the Fire Department for deployment in Candlewood Lake.

The proposed budget dedicates a total of $4.5 million for paving. "We heard you," the mayor said, a reference to Hat City's growing reputation as Pothole City. "It will be a busy paving cycle."

When naming fiscal stability, with the resultant stronger credit rating, as a big impetus behind the sharpened-pencils and belt-tightening, Boughton teased what might become the centerpiece of his 2020-21 budget:

"In about 18 months from now, I am going to be proposing a very robust school construction program, to be able to handle what we anticipate will be an influx of students."