First Selectman Camillo Presents $464 Million Town Budget

GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Fred Camillo presented his Fiscal Year 2022-2023 municipal budget on Tuesday night, and said it both continues services for Greenwich residents and gets projects done that are important to the community.

The proposed spending plan weighs-in at $464,026,952 — a 3.45 percent increase over the current year's budget. It represents a 2.4 percent increase in the town's mill rate, which is used to calculate property taxes. The increase falls under the Board of Estimate and Taxation's non-binding guidelines.

Therefore, as an example, a taxpayer with a $1 million assessed home value will see a $278 increase in property taxes under the proposed budget.

Additionally, there is an $87 million capital budget that addresses various neighborhood enhancements and safety upgrades, and other capital projects that have been championed by Camillo.

Camillo presented his budget virtually via Zoom to members of the BET Budget Committee, who were at Town Hall.

He said the capital budget, which is over the BET's guidelines of $70 million, can be lowered through the form of nearly $9 million in grant money.

About $8 million for soil remediation at Western Middle School will likely be cut, so the capital budget in line with BET guidelines.

Of note, $2.8 million is budgeted for intersection improvements on Greenwich Avenue at Arch Street and Havemeyer Place, and Fawcett Place and Grigg Street.

However, Camillo said before his budget presentation that right now, more work needs to be done on plans for Fawcett and Grigg.

Other neighborhood enhancements include:

• Byram traffic safety improvements ($300,000)
• Glenville center neighborhood improvements ($500,000)
• Cos Cob neighborhood sidewalk work ($400,000)
• Shore Road sidewalk work ($750,000)

"This in large part was driven by meeting with neighborhoods and citizens, so it's with neighborhood and citizen input throughout the town," Camillo said.

Eastern Greenwich Civic Center

Camillo said he expects the price tag for the $21.5 million Eastern Greenwich Civic Center to come down even more through capital fundraising and naming opportunities within the building.

Last fall, the town received a $5 million donation from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for naming rights.

The BET is slated to release $690,000 for the project if conditions are met in FY 2023.

Roger Sherman Baldwin Park

Camillo has visions of enhancing Roger Sherman Baldwin Park and giving residents views of the water that haven't been seen in 70 years. Parks and Recreation operations have been at the park for decades, and trucks are routinely parked on the waterfront property.

"We think it's a very, very poor use of a great asset. We want to open it up, make it more green, establish more walking paths there, while still accommodating all of the great events we have there," Camillo said. "It's really going to be something that will make the beginning of what I believe is a resurgence and renovation and a brand new waterfront district."

Camillo said $100,000 is in the budget to evaluate where to move Parks and Recreation operations, and $1.3 million is planned for next year to relocate them and make some park improvements.

A price tag of $11.2 million for construction on the park was listed for FY 2025. Similar to the civic center, Camillo hopes to bring the price down through public/private partnerships. Several people in town have already reached out looking for naming rights opportunities for some parts of the park.

Dorothy Hamill Rink

The Dorothy Hamill Rink was built in 1972 as just a slab of ice, and it's been built-up in piecemeal fashion through the years, Camillo said. As a result, the rink has fallen behind the standards of other rinks in neighboring towns.

However, Camillo said Tuesday he's pushing the project out a year to allow the Rink User Committee for Design and Planning to gain more public feedback and review the project scope. No money is included for the rink in the proposed budget.

Down the road, public/private partnerships figure to play a role in a new rink. Camillo said they would not affect public access or usage.

Board of Education

After Camillo, Superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools and Board of Education Chair Kathleen Stowe presented the school budget.

The operating budget stands at $176,693,242 — a 2.82 percent increase over the current spending plan.

The budget features a proposed capital budget of $30,265,621.

Annual infrastructure/improvements account for $24.9 million of the capital spending plan. Major projects account for $3.25 million, technology is budgeted at $1.7 million, food services at $51,000, and security at $340,000.

Major projects proposed include architectural, engineering and design work on Julian Curtiss School and Old Greenwich School, and a feasibility study on Central Middle School.

To view powerpoint slides of Camillo's presentation, click here.

For the Board of Education, click here.