Finance board moves budget proposal forward

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NAUGATUCK — The borough’s proposed 2018-19 budget is ready for the next step.

The Board of Finance last week approved a $121.8 million spending plan to move forward to the Joint Boards of Finance and Mayor and Burgesses for review and approval.

The proposed budget increases spending by $1.4 million, or 1.16 percent, over the current budget.

While spending is going up, Board of Finance Chairman Dan Sheridan said he expects the mill rate to be flat or possibly decrease due to increases in tax collection and the grand list.

The borough’s mill rate is 48.55 mills. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

“We feel it meets the needs of the borough while taking into account the need to minimize any impact to the taxpayers,” Sheridan said of the budget.

The school budget, which makes up more than half of the borough’s spending, is $62 million under the proposed spending plan. This represents an increase of $316,349, or about 0.5 percent, over the current school budget.

The Board of Finance shaved off more than $166,000 from the Board of Education’s budget request school officials presented earlier this month.

The joint boards will review the budget Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall to approve to send to a public hearing. The public hearing is scheduled for May 14 at the Board of Education’s conference room.

On May 17, the joint boards will reconvene to make any final changes and adopt the budget.