RTM Approves $448.5 Million Budget For 2021-2022

GREENWICH, CT—After months of countless meetings and debate, the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting approved a $448.5 million budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022 on Monday night by a vote of 147 in favor, 64 opposed, with three abstentions.

Members needed a little over four hours to complete business. The meeting was held in a hybrid fashion, with some members in-person at Central Middle School, and the majority of the elected body participating via Zoom.

The RTM made just four cuts to the spending plan, totaling $3.57 million; during a final budget vote, the RTM cannot add funds.

The largest cut of the night came when members voted 186 in favor, 28 opposed with six abstentions to delete $2 million from employee benefits. Town officials were recently notified of a reduced healthcare premium by the state which gave the town $2 million in savings, so the reduction was requested.

Members overwhelmingly voted 195 in favor, 12 opposed, with 12 abstentions to delete $175,000 for intersection improvement plans at Brookside Drive and Glenville Road. Over 15 people spoke in favor of the cut, saying any construction would damage character of the neighborhood, impact the environment and private property, and create unintended traffic and safety issues.

There was also a motion to cut $500,000 which was earmarked for intersection improvements on Greenwich Avenue. The motion passed 133-80-3.

Currently, construction is ongoing at the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and Elm Street to increase pedestrian safety and aesthetically enhance the area with bump-outs. After work is done there, the town wants to implement similar changes elsewhere on the Avenue.

But RTM members chose to delete the funds, citing the need to "pause" and make an assessment on the Elm Street intersection project and its impact first before moving forward with other projects.

The final cut of the night came when the RTM voted to reduce $900,000 of the $950,000 proposed for final design plans for a new municipal skating rink. The vote was 120 in favor, 80 opposed, with 10 abstentions.

Lucia Jansen, chair of the RTM Budget Overview Committee, which brought forth the motion to delete, said her committee supports rink improvements, but more needs to be known about the project after questions were raised during the reviewal process.

Jansen questioned how the allotment of ice time to various stakeholders would work, and noted that while Parks and Recreation expects to operate a new rink year-round, they were "unable to provide any costs associated with moving to a 12 month program."

She also said that of the five construction options recently presented, three of them would require new sewer lines to be installed underneath the nearby baseball field, and more needs to be known about the impact to memorial trees for Byram veterans in the park.

Alan Monelli, Superintendent of Construction for Greenwich Department of Public Works, said all construction options "are going to be protective of memorial trees throughout."

Monelli called the project "important for the town" and added that money for the rink was included in the budget so that if a final site plan was granted by Planning & Zoning in the first quarter of 2022, the project could continue without abatement next year.

With the budget adopted for the next fiscal year, the Board of Estimate and Taxation will convene on May 17 to set the mill rate.

Stay tuned for expanded stories on the 2021-2022 Greenwich budget.