Approved Stratford Budget To Keep Taxes Flat

STRATFORD, CT — The Stratford Town Council recently approved an amended 2024-25 budget by a 6-4 vote that officials said will keep taxes flat.

The approved $260 million budget includes an allocation of an additional $500,000 to the Board of Education, along with a “$2 million BOE surplus from the 2023 fiscal year (allowed per state statute),” according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

“This puts the Board of Education budget at $127,502,725 from the general fund, plus the aforementioned $2 million provided by the surplus,” the news release states.

The budget was approved following “numerous discussions between the Council, Mayor Laura R. Hoydick, and Chief Administrative Officer Chris Tymniak,” according to the news release.

“The budget process is not easy, but I am deeply appreciative of the time put in by Council members to look at every department within our Town’s operations and see this proposed budget is an appropriate way to support our community’s needs while being considerate to our taxpayers,” Mayor Laura R. Hoydick said. “This sentiment was prevalent in the Council’s ability in sourcing and providing an increase to the Board of Education budget without placing additional strain on our taxpayers nor our Town services. The Town is providing $2 million dollars of surplus funds for the BOE, without any constraints, and through the Council’s reallocation, an additional $500,000 was added to the BOE budget. I appreciate the Council’s acknowledgement and consideration that the BOE has had an operating surplus at the end of each fiscal year since I have been in office. This recurring practice by the BOE indicates the school district could not spend all the funding they had available to them for that year and the Council’s consideration of this management practice is reflected in the approved budget wherein Town department budgets are lean, making up 46% of the Town’s operating budget and BOE making up 54%. Those surplus amounts were never deducted from the funding request for the following year.

“Additionally, as an Alliance District, the Stratford Public School System receives the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant directly from the State and this year will receive $3,060,626 million dollars more than last year. This is in conjunction with the previous year’s ESC allocation which goes to the BOE, meaning they will receive at least $5.1 million in total from the State. Also, there are additional Title 1 grant funds coming from Congress that will add to their operating budget.”

The final approved budget, which was supported by Republicans Bryan O'Connor, Kerry L. Whitham, Carl A. Glad, Alan D. Llewelyn, Paul T. Aurelia, and Democrat Alvin O'Neal, equals Hoydick’s proposed 2024-2025 budget, with the total dollar amount being $260,014,370.

“A number of line-item expenditures were adjusted through an amendment put forth by Councilman Llewelyn, including an additional $500,000 for the Board of Education,” according to the news release. “The Mill Rate was not impacted by the amendment and remains at 40.20 for the 2023 Grand List, excluding the Mill Rate for Motor Vehicles, which is capped per state statute at 32.46. With this budget, there is no increase in taxes for the Stratford community due to the diligence within the Mayor’s proposed budget and the reallocation of funds to support the Board of Education’s budget request.”

Board of Education Chairman Mike Henrick said, “I’d like to thank the Town Council for designating the $2 million surplus from fiscal year ‘23 back to the Board of Education without any strings attached, as well as the Mayor increasing the Board’s budget by $100,000, and for the Council adding an additional $500,000 in reallocations of Town funds. I appreciate the Mayor and the Council in their commitment to properly support our school district with this budget. Now it is our time, as the Board of Education, to get to work to ensure proper management of this funding and transparency of its allocations. Thank you again and I look forward to continued collaboration with the Mayor and the Council as we continue to seek ways to improve our town.”

Town Council Chairman Carl Glad said, “Perseverance shows with this budget. We worked, as one entity, to get to this moment. Both sides were in agreement that this budget was the leanest it could possibly be across all departments. We also agreed on our priorities for any available additional funding. This budget reflects Stratford’s financial reality and is a fiscally responsible roadmap for the successful future for Stratford.”

Kaitlyn Shake, the Town Council Democratic Party leader who voted against the budget, said in an email, “As party leader it is my job to ensure that our values are reflected in our municipal budget, to serve our children, families, educators, the elderly and all those who call Stratford home. Unfortunately, my fifth budget serving our Town is the most challenging to date. Our Schools are now faced with serious looming cuts that will either affect services immediately or raise the costs of those services a year from now. There are no savings in this budget and it's directly impacting the quality of education to our children."