Voters to decide fate of budget

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NAUGATUCK — Residents will head back to the polls Tuesday to voice their opinions on the borough’s proposed budget.

The budget referendum will be Oct. 14 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Naugatuck Historical Society, 195 Water St. The proposed 2014-15 spending plan is $113.6 million, an increase in spending of about $2.89 million from the 2013-14 budget.

Although spending will increase under the plan, the mill rate will go down slightly as revenues will offset the increase.

Under the proposed budget the mill rate would be 44.67 mills or 0.13 mills less than the 2013-14 rate. A resident whose home is worth $150,000 will pay $20 less in property taxes under the proposed mill rate.

Voters will be asked to cast their vote on the municipal and school budgets separately. The municipal budget is $52.5 million, an increase of $1.26 million. The Board of Education budget is $61.1 million, an increase of $1.62 million.

Voters can answer yes, no: too high or no: too low on each budget.

The referendum will mark the second vote on the 2014-15 budget. The original municipal and school budgets were rejected by a wide margin in July. Both referendums were forced through petitions.

Former Board of Finance Member Matthew Katra, who helped spearhead both petition efforts, said he opposes to the current proposed budget because the Joint Boards of Mayor and Burgesses and Finance did not remove enough from the original budget after it was voted down.

“We really didn’t make any substantial cuts for the taxpayers in this budget. A lot of the items removed were put into bonding or delayed. There were not a lot of reductions at all,” Katra said.

Borough officials cut about $1.43 million in spending overall from the first proposed budget after it was defeated at referendum.

Mayor Robert Mezzo said the borough has nothing left to responsibly remove from the budget after making the initial round of cuts.

“There is nothing left to responsibly cut from either the municipal or education budget that would have any meaningful impact on anyone’s taxes,” Mezzo said.

Katra said he’s heard a lot of concerns from residents regarding the budget.

“From the calls I’m receiving and people talking to me on street, I’m hearing the same frustrations as the first referendum. The people spoke and the burgesses and Mayor did not do enough. So here we are with time number two,” Katra said.

However, Mezzo was discouraged by the amount of people who have actually reached out to the Town Hall for information.

“What is most concerning to me is how few questions I receive about the budget details. Occasionally when I do get questions, the facts and complexities involved become inconvenient to those who want quick, simple solutions,” Mezzo said. “I wish that more people would have more faith that the people they elect to make budgetary decisions do so in a thoughtful, diligent and fiscally-responsible manner; and that making meaningful reforms to long-term budget problems takes time.”

In order for the results of the referendum to count at lest 15 percent of registered voters need to cast their vote. If the turnout does not reach that threshold the budgets are considered adopted and goes into effect.

Katra encouraged residents to turn out to vote and has set up a hotline for residents who need a ride to the polls. Residents needing a ride can call (203) 806-0588.

If the budgets fail, officials will have to revise and adopt a third overall budget. A third proposal could be petitioned to a referendum, which would not likely be held until late this year or early next year.

Mezzo expressed concerns that if the budgets fail again the borough could be in a difficult place.

“We are three-plus months into the fiscal year and a month into the school year without a budget, and it appears we could begin next year’s budget process without finalizing the last,” Mezzo said.