Monroe $87.8 Million Budget Goes to Referendum Tuesday

MONROE, CT — The proposed town and schools budgets for 2019-20 go before the voters on Tuesday, May 7. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The total proposed municipal plan call for $28,940,637 in expenditures, $432,915 more than current year, or a 1.52 percent increase. The schools have proposed a budget of $57,246,740, representing an increase of $1,100,623 or 1.96 percent. Another $1,665,500 is being proposed for fund appropriations and contingency, bringing total expenditures on the referendum to $87,852,877, a raise of $2,960,166 over current budget, or a 3.49 percent bump.

The budget proposal for fiscal year 2019-20 projects a new mill rate of 35.58, resulting in a tax increase of just under 1 percent, and sustaining a two-year cumulative tax decrease.

"The budget was developed with an overarching goal of controlling taxes, while ensuring that we continue to invest in roads and infrastructure, deliver cost-effective services to our community, provide excellence in education, and maintain the good financial health of the Town," said First Selectman Ken Kellogg in a release

Kellogg also noted contractual obligations under collective bargaining, increases in the costs of recycling disposal, and anticipated health insurance costs have contributed to a 1.81 percent increase in overall operating expenditures.

The proposed budget also includes a contingency line, in part to address the uncertainty that remains with the state budget, according to Mike Manjos, Board of Finance Chairman. The Board of Finance has funded this contingency without affecting the tax rate.