Budget, Tax Hike Approved By West Hartford Council

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Local leaders Tuesday night officially set the town's spending plan and tax rate for the new year, with both spending and taxes slated to increase.

But, the tax rate for homeowners is going up by less than a third of a mill, 0.24 mills. It's a figure slightly smaller than earlier versions, which last called for a 0.28 mill hike.

Overall, the combined town/school budget for 2023-24 stands at $330,940,664, which is still less than a 5 percent increase. A prior version of the budget called for a 4.23 percent hike.

Council members voted 7-2 in favor of the spending plan, with Republicans Alberto Cortes and Mark Zydanowicz voting "no."

In addition, council members voted 8-1 to approve the new mill rate, with Republican Mary Fay the lone dissenter.

Prior to the vote, West Hartford's highest governing body reflected on their responsibility in setting a spending plan.

Whereas many small towns decide budgets at the polls or a town meeting, West Hartford's council determines those spending plans.

"We have had a lot of meetings, a lot of discussions, a lot of thought," said Democratic West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor. "This is most important thing that we do in the operation of our town that we oversee."

The council's GOP leader, May Fay, agreed.

"There was a lot of thought and work put into this budget by those around this table," Fay said. "Budgets are always hard, they're always extremely difficult to get the right emphasis on the right things and invest in our town."

In actuality, the tax hike approved Tuesday was slightly smaller than what the town was planning going into the meeting.

West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith reported to the council Tuesday night that updated revenue figures increased slightly, allowing for the slight cut in the tax hike.

If you're home is assessed at $300,000, it means your tax bill will be about $72 greater this year than last year.

The Numbers

Approved as part of the overall budget were:

• A West Hartford Board of Education budget of $190,124,680, which is nearly 5 percent larger than current spending.

• $124.32 million for town general government spending, up $5.2 million or 4.37 percent larger than current spending.

• $16.236 million for capital projects, a decrease of $543,138 or 3.24 percent smaller.

The spending plan would require a new mill rate of 40.92 mills, 0.24 mills larger. That figure is only for real estate and personal property taxes.

Motor vehicle taxes, which are capped by the state at 32.46, will not go up, Ledwith said, with the town garnering revenues from the state to offset the vehicle mill rate difference.

Crunch the numbers and you get a tax hike of about 1.86 percent for taxpayers, according to Ledwith.

Reflections

Prior to the council's adoption of the spending plans, members reflected on what is an extremely active time of year for municipal officials and employees.

"Budget season is always a challenge for all of us. I like to associate it with March Madness because that's how it feels," said Democratic councilperson Carol Blanks.

Members of the council's minority party, the Republicans, expressed some concern on the state of affairs economically, worrying about how residents will handle some of the increases.

Fay pointed out, while the mill hike was "modest," taxpayers are also dealing with added taxes due to last year's town-approved tax phase-in on the heals of a revaluation.

The town didn't want the burden of the reval to be fully impacted by taxpayers in 2022.

This means taxpayers are paying more on their taxes due to the spike in values from a year ago, with the the 0.24 mills an additional tax increase.

"I worry about the financial headwinds we are going ot be facing, all of us. The layoffs have already started," Fay, who voted against the mill rate hike, said.

Added budget opponent Cortes: "This is my least favorite time of year," he said, chuckling. "You want to move forward a budget that doesn't hurt the residents and it's hard."

For more information on the approved budget items Tuesday, click on this link.

From April 5: 'Public Talks, West Hartford BoE Listens: Adds To Budget'