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BET trims budget items, narrows projected tax increase to about 4.7% after decision-day changes
Summary
At a March 3 decision-day session, Greenwich's BET budget committee approved a set of operating, capital and revenue adjustments that reduced the proposed mill-rate increase to roughly 4.7%; a separate proposal to raise the annual capital levy failed in a split vote.
The Board of Estimate and Taxation's (BET) budget committee convened March 3 in decision-day proceedings, approving a series of operating and capital changes and revenue updates that, when entered into the budget schedules, cut the proposed mill-rate increase from about 6.0% to approximately 4.7%.
"Today is our decision day," Chair Laura Ericson said at the meeting's start, outlining a schedule that moved through operating, capital and revenues before the mill-rate calculation. Committee members used the day to fine-tune line items, advance capital appropriations and flag conditions for larger projects.
Members approved line-item adjustments across multiple departments. Among the actions taken, the committee reduced the law department budget by $12,000 after subscription costs were trimmed and approved a $100,000 reduction in the fire department's water-service line to better reflect historical hydrant-related costs. The committee also authorized capital appropriations including a $1.1 million tanker for the Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company and a $300,000 package for the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Company (half for a technical-rescue vehicle and half for fleet/rescue equipment).
On staffing, the committee approved a $124,640 increase to police general services to add 1.3 positions (a FOIA clerk and an upgraded property-evidence clerk) to address increasing workloads reported by the department.
The committee discussed employee health-care budgeting at length after members raised concerns the town had been ‘‘underbudgeting’’ health-care costs. Mr. Fenton proposed an adjustment to employee premium contributions to align with expected bargaining outcomes, but he later withdrew the motion to allow more HR review.
Finance staff recalculated revenues during the session and recommended increases to several non-tax lines, including raising investment interest income from $5 million to $6 million and increasing Planning & Zoning filing fee revenue by about $215,000 to reflect a fee schedule update. Taken together with operating and capital adjustments, the revisions produced the smaller projected mill-rate increase.
The committee also signaled conditions—ranging from land-use approvals (MI) to fundraising targets—on large projects such as the proposed Greenwich High School aquatics/tennis campus work and the Hamill rink planning. On Madison Park / Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, the committee amended a motion to reduce design funding by $750,000, leaving $250,000 for study and design to maintain progress while demanding work on related facility relocations be resolved.
A final slate of fund-by-fund votes followed the mill-rate calculation. The committee approved the operating and capital budgets as amended and advanced the items to full BET decision day and a public hearing later in March.
"We hope to take this step by step and hopefully we will conclude our business today," Chair Ericson told members, and the committee recessed for caucuses before returning to complete the schedule. The committee adjourned after approving amended fund totals and scheduling further reviews and conditions for larger projects.
