Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Lyme faces remaining budget gap; board weighs one-time revenue and program cuts before June 4 referendum
Summary
After a failed first referendum, board and finance staff outlined recent reductions to an adopted 6.31% budget request and said an additional $262,951 remains to be addressed; staff proposed one-time revenue and program adjustments and urged turnout for a June 4 vote.
Board members received an update on the district budget and the next steps following a failed first referendum.
Candace, the selecting representative, noted the first budget referendum had failed and urged residents to vote in the second referendum scheduled for June 4. "The first budget referendum did fail… a second budget referendum is now scheduled for June 4th. So, please, I encourage everyone to get out and vote," she said.
Superintendent and finance staff reviewed recent adjustments: the board had previously adopted a 6.31% increase; subsequent board-of-finance deliberations reduced that figure by about $1.2 million and made several additional restorations and cuts. Finance director Jeff told the board the team was “grappling now with the additional basically 262,951,” the remaining amount staff were working to cover with one-time revenue sources and spending adjustments.
Jeff described options including drawing on before/after-school program funds for one-time maintenance purchases and keeping higher-cost recurring positions under review. He told members the list of possible adjustments would be revisited at the next board meeting so members could provide input before final decisions.
The board did not adopt final cuts at the meeting. Members were asked to review the proposed options and to contact finance staff with alternatives ahead of a follow-up meeting in mid-June. Administrators emphasized that failure of the referendum would require further cuts.
