Wallingford Town Council Rejects Amended Budget Using Surplus, Approves Original Proposal with Tax Hike

Editor's note: In case you missed it from earlier this week...

WALLINGFORD, CT — The Wallingford Town Council rejected an amended budget proposal that would have used $2 million from a previous year’s surplus to offset a tax increase and a decline in state funding and approved Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s originally proposed $158.27 million municipal budget.

The amended budget proposal failed by a 5-4 vote on Tuesday night and the approved spending plan represents a $2.54 million increase over the current budget and also calls for a 1.53 percent increase to the tax rate, according to the New Haven Register.

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The Meriden Record-Journal reports the surplus was added to the town’s reserve, which is currently $27 million.

Democratic Councilman Jason Zandri proposed the amended budget with the use of the surplus and received support from fellow Democrat Vincent Testa, Republican John Letourneau and Unaffiliated Councilman John Sullivan, while Republicans Craig Fishbein, Vincent Cervoni, Christopher Shortell, Tom Laffin and Joseph Marrone voted against it, according to the Meriden Record-Journal.

As a result of the adopted budget, the Board of Education will receive about $2 million less than it requested. The initial request was $100.8 million while $98.7 million was approved.

In an email to parents on Wednesday, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sal Menzo wrote that “Cutting all Focus Area requests and Strategic Plan requests equaled an initial reduction of $1,684,590 leaving $404,613 in additionally required reductions.”

The following additional reductions, Menzo wrote, were recommended to the Board of Education for consideration:

• Do not fill Superintendent Secretary position
• Do not fill High School Special Education Department Head and Reallocate Responsibilities to Remaining Department Heads and Coordinators
• Do not fill .5 FTE Carpenter
• Eliminate Mathematics Curriculum Resource Teacher
• Do not fill Adult Education Guidance Staff (Reallocate to Guidance Coordinator)
• Reduce Adult Education Weeks of Instruction to Meet State Guidelines (34 weeks to 30 weeks)
• Bid Part-time Custodial Services
• Eliminate One Lyman Hall Part-Time Clerk
• Reassign Summer School Director to 12 month Curriculum Coordinator
• Eliminate Intervention Facilitator Stipends
• Reduce Summer IT Stipends
• Eliminate Community Liaison
• Reduce High School Late Bus - 3 days to 2 days a week
• Eliminate Middle School Innovation Team

“In support of the Board of Education’s guiding principle to continue moving the District forward, Central Office Administration has asked the Board of Education to consider funding the following positions, if funding is available,” Menzo wrote. “These positions were part of the Focus Area budget originally submitted by the Board of Education. They include the following:

• Extended Day Literacy and Numeracy Programs
• Social Worker at EEP (Alternative High School Program)
• Additional Middle School ARTS Teacher in the Alternative Middle School Program
• Health and Wellness Curriculum Resource Teacher

“All of these recommendations will be discussed and a final consensus will be taken on the 2016-2017 budget on Monday, May 16, 2016 at 6 p.m. The Board of Education will also discuss the option of outsourcing Food Services.”

The meeting will take place in the Board of Education Conference Room at 100 South Turnpike Road. The Board of Education will officially approve the 2016-17 budget at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, May 23 at 7 p.m. in the Robert Parisi Town Council Chambers.

Read more about Tuesday night’s council vote on the budget at the New Haven Register here and the Meriden Record-Journal here.