Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
New Britain council adopts amended budget to bolster schools and library; general fund passes 8–7
Summary
After a public comment period urging the council to prioritize schools, the library and housing services, the New Britain Common Council on May 28 approved an amendment reallocating roughly $195,000 to education, community services and the library and then adopted the general, special revenue and capital budgets. The amended general fund passed on a party-line roll call, 8–7.
New Britain — The New Britain Common Council on May 28 approved an amendment to the mayor’s proposed budget that shifts money into operating education accounts and boosts library funding, then adopted the general, special revenue and enterprise budgets and the capital improvement list.
The action followed a lengthy public-comment period in which residents, library staff and community groups urged the council to protect city services rather than prioritize a modest property-tax cut. "I care deeply for this essential public institution" and "I'm here today to advocate that you fully fund the library at the proposed budget increase of 8%," said Jason Velani, a reference librarian at the New Britain Public Library and the library chapter’s CSEA local president.
Why it matters: Councilmembers debating the amendment said moving money from 'nonoperating' accounts into the operating budget would guarantee support for schools year‑to‑year rather than requiring the school district to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
