Norwalk BET reviews revised city and school budgets; mayor backs 4.9% school increase

Chair Terry Abrams convened the Board of Estimate and Taxation on April 15 for a special session to review revised operating-budget proposals from Norwalk City staff and the Board of Education. The mayor and city finance staff outlined reductions that lower the city-side increase and explained how last year’s one-time additions affect year-to-year comparisons.

The mayor said the city initially faced an over-10% increase driven by higher health-care costs, six collective-bargaining agreements and revaluation effects, and that staff and departments worked to reduce the city’s proposal to roughly an 8.5% increase. "We were able to get the city budget much lower down to 8.5% ... and an overall increase between the city and the board of education to 6.54%," the mayor said. She told BET members she would "support what the city council approved,…