First Selectman 'Heartsick' Over Budget Debate

As a former teacher and schools administrator, First Selectman Pat Llodra said she found it hard to sit through last week's contentious budget deliberations.

On the one hand, she is responsible for managing the municipal budget and making sure town services adequately addresses residents' needs. But on other hand, she believes education is a core value, and is concerned to hear school officials say next year's proposed funding is not enough, and could lead to educational cuts.

"I'm heartsick by it," Llodra said of the debate.

Llodra has won accolades from finance and legislative officials for her management of the town budget in light of the tough economy.

Last year, voters approved a spending package that apportioned $37 million to the Board of Selectmen for municipal services, but then the town ran into a revenue shortfall of about $800,000 due to reduced state funding. That meant the town had to find ways to make up the amount.

Under Llodra's leadership, the town was able to renegotiate a better rate on its bonds and garner a savings of nearly $400,000. Officials then combed through the rest of the town's budget for items that could be put on hold, Llodra said.

In developing next year's budget request, the town was able to find savings – namely through reduced interest payments on debt services – that allowed officials to propose a budget that is only about $58,000 more than the one adopted by voters last year, an increase of less than two tenths of a percent, she said.

"We used some of that money to support the budget," Llodra said of the debt services savings.

Had the town not been able to identify those savings, officials would have had to make deeper municipal service cuts, Llodra said.

"We are more fortunate on the town side that we have been able to get these savings," she said.

The path the education budget has taken has been rockier.

Under the proposal approved last week by the Legislative Council, the Board of Education would receive a budget next year of $67 million, which represents an annual increase of 1-percent. However, education board supporters have argued that was not enough.

Llodra said it was fair to ask whether some of the savings the town was able to garner from debt services could be applied to the schools budget.

"Maybe some of that savings could be appropriated differently," she said.

But, she said the decision was not up to her.

"I would want the Board of Selectmen in on that discussion, and the Board of Finance," Llodra said, adding she would be cautious about using the savings for other purposes.

"The purpose is to pass those savings back to the taxpayer," she said.

Additionally, Llodra is worried about negatively affecting municipal services.

"I still have that responsibility to advocate for the town side of the budget," she said.

For instance, the town had budgeted money to hire another person for the information technology department, but because of the revenue shortfall, chose not to fill the position. Next year's budget has money set aside for that position, which is important because the I.T. department needs more than two employees, Llodra said.

"Those are real things that didn't happen," she said of cuts to this year's budget that are being sought in next year's request. "It's not stuff that was over-budgeted."

Still, after watching the contentious debate rage over the schools budget and hearing officials talk about possible educational cuts, Llodra said she feels conflicted.

"I'm in quite a pickle," she said. "I just want to do the right thing."