Granby Finance Board Approves Budget Calling for 1.96% Tax Increase

The Granby Board of Finance on Monday unanimously approved the 2012-13 operating budgets for both the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen that, if approved by town voters, will increase taxes by 1.96 percent.

If the budget is accepted by residents at the Town Meeting on April 23, the mill rate will climb .59 mills from 30.10 to 30.69. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for April 9.

After presentations by school board Chairman Cal Heminway and First Selectman John Adams on Monday evening, the members of the finance board took little time to comment on the two operating budgets, instead praising both boards for staying within the guidelines they were provided in February.

“I commend both boards for the work you’ve done,” finance board Chairman Michael Guarco said.

“I’m pleased with both boards and to keep the mill rate increase under 2 percent,” finance board member Francis Brady added.

Adams: more funds needed to maintain municipal services

The municipal budget is $13.62 million, representing a .9 percent spending increase over current levels. It includes $9.1 million - representing a 2 percent spending hike - for operations and $1.1 in general funds for capital projects

Adams said, however, that the 2 percent spending increase was not sufficient to maintain current services provided by the town.

“The 2 percent increase in the operating budget continues to erode services provided by the municipal portion of government,” said Adams, noting that, outside of the police department, the town is currently staffed with the same number of employees as it was in 1986. “Municipal budgets have been starved at the expense of other needs for the past 20 years. I am asking you to work with the Board of Selectmen to develop a plan to address these pressing needs and continue to keep Granby a safe and prosperous community.”

Specifically, Adams said that the $13,000 added back to library services did not cover for the cuts the Granby Public Library and Cossitt Library suffered several years ago, which resulted in significantly reduced hours and a reduction in staff.

“The primary complaint by our users is that they don’t know when the library is open,” Adams said. “With some nights open in the main library and others at Cossitt, the disjointed hours create confusion and do not provide the best services to our community.”

Adams added that the $12,162 inserted into the public works budget amounted to a .4 percent increase over allotted funds from this year’s budget.

“With the elimination of a maintainter three years ago, the DPW continues to be short handed,” Adams said.

In addition, Adams noted that police Chief Carl Rosensweig requested funding for a detective/youth resource officer at a cost of $93,000.

“Our current police forces do not have the time, nor in some instances, the expertise, that is required to solve many of today’s crimes,” Adams said. “Whether we are talking about cyber bullying or home burglaries, our police force cannot respond in a manner that our citizens expect and deserve for their tax dollars.”

Adams laid out a scenario to reduce the taxes in Granby to the level of Suffield, which receives about $7 million a year from the state to have a prison in town. Specifically, Adams said that to reach that level, the town would have to add $330 million of commercial development to its grand list, which would require the development of 666,666 square acres - roughly half the size of Westfarms Mall.

“I ask you to understand the issues that we face as a town, and work with us to achieve solutions,” Adams said.

One suggestion, according to Adams, would be to hire someone new halfway through the budget year so that the increase would be split between two years.

Finance board member Gordon Bischoff said that he was prepared to discuss adding $50,000 to the town’s operating budget, but Town Manager William Smith said earlier in the meeting that he had not yet prioritized what the town needed most out of the items set forth by Adams and that further discussion was needed.

Schools call for $28.56 million in spending

The schools budget calls for a $28.56 million appropriation, which includes a $27.25 million operating budget request that calls for a 1 percent spending increase over current levels.

Heminway said that Granby - at $12,135 per student - ranked 141 out of 166 school districts in per pupil spending. In return, Heminway said that Granby students were performing at a high level, evidenced, in part, with high test scores.

Still, even with the 1 percent spending increase, the school district was moving forward with several initiatives, including starting an integrated pre-school, extending kindergarten from half to full day, expanding the World Languages program at the high school and elementary school level and hiring a high school guidance counselor.

The preschool program is a cost neutral move this year, according to Heminway, because the district will save money on tuition paid to send students to outside programs.

All-day kindergarten will cost $397,000 - some $80,000 more than the initial $317,000 estimate - with all but $30,000 going to the seven employees (3.5 teachers and 3.5 teaching assistants) who will staff the program.

Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley said that the kindergarten program will be paid for exclusively through the town’s Quality and Diversity Fund - which is money received from the state through the town’s participation in the Open Choice program - and $80,000 from a separate Open Choice support grant.

Finance board members again commented little on the schools budget, other than to praise the work of the school board.

“I’m very satisfied with the presentation,” Brady said.