New Milford council approves $49.6M town budget, clears $78.8M school budget as spending-cap concerns linger

The New Milford Town Council voted unanimously on March 5 to approve a $49,581,236 town budget and a $78,773,658 Board of Education budget, sending both measures to the Board of Finance for its required hearing and deliberation.

Katy Francis moved to approve the town budget; Paul Murphy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Francis later moved to approve the Board of Education budget; Rolando Castro seconded and that motion also passed unanimously. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pete Bass at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned at 7:09 p.m.

The approvals follow a public comment in which resident Roseann Petruso urged support for the Board of Education budget, saying it "is a decrease in spending year over year but provides the level of support the students need." Petruso's remarks came during the public participation portion of the meeting.

Mayor Pete Bass thanked staff and volunteers who worked on the budgets and said the approved figures now move to the Board of Finance for a hearing and further deliberations. The mayor noted guidance from the State Office of Policy and Management about this year's Municipal Spending Cap (MSC), which the office reported would allow a 2.64% increase in the budget base this year. "New Milford is at 3.23%," Mayor Bass said, and he compared that figure with neighboring towns' reported percentages.

Olga Melnikov, New Milford's Director of Finance, clarified that the MSC discussion applies to a specific state revenue-sharing grant. "If the increase exceeds the state cap they will decrease the distribution," Melnikov said, adding that New Milford has not received that funding and did not budget for it in this cycle.

Town officials said the Tax Assessor will certify the grand list on March 6, which will allow residents to see their individual tax impacts. Walter O'Connor of the Board of Finance noted the Board of Finance must schedule its hearing to respect the charter-required waiting period after the budget's publication in the newspaper; the hearing date was to be determined.

The Council's formal actions were recorded as motions and unanimous approvals; no amendments or roll-call vote breakdowns were provided in the minutes. The meeting record lists attendees and staff present, including Finance and department directors who provided technical input during the deliberations. The Council adjourned at 7:09 p.m.