Budget Hearings Begin

The Town Council begins its review of the proposed fiscal 2015 budget tonight, starting at 6 p.m. at the Beechwood Senior Center.

The council will review all funds except the school and school capital reserve fund at 6 p.m. And at 7:30 p.m., the council will take up the school fund and school capital reserve fund.

The proposed budget calls for a tax levy of $72.1 million - a $2.1 million increase over last years budget. It would push the tax rate up to $19.08 per $1,000 of assessed value. The current rate is $18.80 per $1,000.

Preliminary budget documents show most town departments seeing a decrease in their annual budget, ranging from a reduction of just $86 for the Town Manager's budget to a $255,904 reduction for the fire department. 

The budget proposes increasing the school's appropriation by $1.04 million to $59.4 million and along with increases to the police, board of canvassers, water, public works and general operating funds, significant reductions in most departments are wiped out.

In a notice of the proposed tax rate change, Town Council President Elizabeth S. Dolan said the property tax levy also includes motor vehicles at an unchanged tax rate of $22.04 per $1,000 of assessed value and "assumes the continuation of the state phase-out exemption on the first $500 of of vehicle assessments plus an additional $2,500 self-imposed exemption, for a total $3,000 exemption."

The budget will be adopted on May 7 at the Town Council's regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall conference room, 80 Boston Neck Road. 

The town has posted several key budget documents in advance of the meeting tonight, including an overall analysis of the budget, a breakdown of revenues and a chart detailing the proposed tax rate change. You can grab there here.