West Hartford's Proposed Budget: What Will It Cost You?

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Budget season is in high gear after last week's town budget presentation, with Thursday's upcoming "Budget 101" webinar aimed at educating the public about the process.

Though not seen as a glamorous component of municipal operations, budgets are critical because they outline available services and how much taxpayers will pay to maintain them.

And, according to the first unveiling of the town's combined $330.5 million general government/school spending plan, taxes will go up by less than 2 percent.

Residents and taxpayers can learn more about how spending and taxes are finalized, as the West Hartford Office of Equity Advancement is hosting a free one-hour "Municipal Budgeting 101" webinar on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

"Municipal Budgeting 101" will feature a question-and-answer session with West Hartford Chief Financial Officer Peter Privitera at the end of a presentation.

Spending plan unveiled

Last week at a special West Hartford Town Council meeting, West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith unveiled his proposed spending plan for 2023-24 with a lengthy and in-depth presentation of his own.

He cited a number of factors contributing to a complex budget process this year, including inflation/supply chain issues driving up costs and expectations West Hartford has regarding services.

Ledwith said West Hartford is known for good schools, parks, recreation programs, public health, public safety and social services.

"These do not happen by accident," he said. "It is through the vision of our council and the hard work of our directors and staff that we remain a community people want to invest in, live in, raise a family in, retire in and this budget supports the programs we need to maintain the services our residents expect year in and year out."

Ledwith broke down the budget's three main components:

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

• $189.94 million for school spending, up $8.7 million or 4.83 percent larger.

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

Add all those numbers together, Ledwith said, and it makes for a combined $330.5 million town/school budget, which is 4.23 percent larger.

What will it cost?

As is typical of all municipal budgets, taxes fund much of the spending, along with other government revenues.

And in West Hartford's case, those taxes will go up, according to this budget draft, by a figure less than 2 percent, Ledwith said.

The proposed spending plan would require a new mill rate of 40.96 mills, 0.28 mills larger, Ledwith said. 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 1.87 percent for taxpayers, Ledwith said.

If you're home was assessed at $300,000 in West Hartford, your taxes would go up by $84 total for the year with the proposed new mill rate.

Reasons for the increase

A multitude of factors are driving up West Hartford's budgetary needs.

They include the aformentioned inflation and supply chain issues, but also several new staff positions seen as necessary in a town like West Hartford.

For example, Ledwith said, West Hartford aims to add: two new development office staffers to work with businesses looking to come to town; a human resources specialist to deal with staff needs; two additional public works staffers; two new police officers; one new fire inspector; and one added librarian, among others.

Combine that with contractual salary mandates and staff costs are increasing.

But grand list growth, tax increases and added revenues (such as American Rescue Plan Act funding) are helping keep the tax hike down, Ledwith said.

As for school spending, which was finalized last week by the West Hartford Board of Education, Ledwith said it addresses contractual staff salary increases, program maintenance and facility maintenance and enhancements.

"This budget proposal continues to strengthen our grade schools and will maintain our investment in our children and in our future," Ledwith regarding school spending.

What's next?

Now that the initial budget document is finalized, the spending plan will be scrutinized at the council subcommittee level.

Then, the public can weigh in.

Town officials announced several budget meetings, including two upcoming public hearings on the spending plans: Monday, March 27, at 6 p.m. and Monday, April 3, at 2 p.m. Both at West Hartford Town Hall.

Both hearings will allow taxpayers and residents to comment on proposed spending for next fiscal year.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said Ledwith's presentation was, really, just the first step in a long process toward planning the town's fiscal future.

"It's just the start of this process," Cantor said. "There's no question that there are continued challenges. We've had so much great news, but these are challenging financial times."

Said Ledwith: "We believe this budget addresses the diverse needs of our community while being mindful of our responsibility to our taxpayers."

To register for "Municipal Budgeting 101," click on this link.

For the minutes of the March 8 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.