Board of Finance Approves $74.5 Million Budget to Bring to Referendum

A majority of speakers at Monday night's public budget hearing asked the Board of Finance to  leave the requested budget as is and let the voters decide, but the board voted Wednesday to reduce the request from $75.6 million to $74.5 million.

The decision passed by a 5-2 vote, Board of Finance Chairman Thomas Harrison confirmed.

Board member Thomas Gugliotti requested that the board pass the budget proposal without reductions, but no board member seconded the motion on the record, so there was no vote on that proposal.

When board members discusses a 2.25 percent tax increase, before settling on 2.45 percent, Gugliotti said, "That's way too low. You may as well close up the schools."

A majority of the board members addressed concerns about unemployment and the financial impact that they thought a 4.09 percent tax rate increase would have on low-income families and senior citizens.

"There hasn't been [cost of living adjustment] for Social Security recipients since 2009," board member Cathy Durdan said in a prepared statement. "The unemployment rate for Connecticut is still around 9 percent and, yes, even Avon is not immune."

The board voted on the tax rate increase first and settled on 2.45 percent, which would raise the tax rate from 24.44 to 25.04.

For the first time in history, Harrison said, the Avon Taxpayers Association has agreed to support the proposed budget that will go to referendum.

“We, the Avon Taxpayers Association, are very pleased that the Board of Finance refused to be bullied and we will support this budget,” said Florence Stahl, president of the Avon Taxpayers Association.

Resident Julie Tacinelli, of the Coalition of Citizens for Avon, said that tax relief is an issue that the town needs to find more ways to address.

"I think the real problem is they need more progressive tax relief in Avon. Avon's one of the wealthiest communities, not only in the state, but in the country," Tacinelli said. "We have one of the lowest tax rates in the area, and so we have the ability to pay.  . . . It's the town's responsibility to develop an equitable tax system that doesn't place undue burden on low-income residents and seniors, but it shouldn't come on the backs of schoolchildren."

The new budget figure that the Board of Finance approved to go to referendum required an $846,933 reduction from the Board of Education's request for $47.9 million and $211,733 from the town side of the budget. That reflects an 80:20 proportion in the way the adjustments were split. Board member James Speich suggested taking all of the reductions from the Board of Education's budget and none from the town side, but that was not approved.

After a caucus, the Town Council decided to take $150,000 of its mandated budget adjustment out of the Capital Improvement Program budget and $62,000 out of the town operating budget request. Instead of paying for the requested fire truck upgrade over two years in the capital improvement budget, the council is now proposing doing so over three years.

Many school advocates were unhappy with the new budget proposal.

"I think that the Board of Finance has just thrown the school board and the children of Avon under the bus," parent and resident Mitchell Piper said.

Debbie Thurston and her family moved to Avon in 2007 and she supported being able to vote on the requested $75.6 million budget.

"I don't think it would have hurt to give it a try. Whether you agree with it or not, you still would have the opportunity to vote what you thought," Thurston said. "One of the main reasons I moved here was because of the schools. I'm surprised at what I found when I got here."

Resident Jennifer Wolfberg said that she feels she can no  longer "in good conscience" recommend Avon's kindergartens to friends and coworkers. She said that the schools are "eroding over time" because of budget request reductions.

Her friend, Randi Leaning, who has lived in Avon for 25 years, called the adjusted budget and decreased proposal for a tax increase "penny wise and dollar foolish."

Harrison said that typically the town manager will suggest alternative sources of non-property tax revenue, but this year was the first time in his recollection that no such recommendation was made.

Avon resident Sonja Larkin-Thorne said she will support the new budget proposal in the referendum.

"The finance committee did their job. Their job was to come up with a reasonable alternative to their budget and they did," Larkin-Thorne said. "It's something I can support. It's less than 3 percent. The took into consideration all of the financial issues that are impacting the town and its residents."

Avon High School sophomore Kierin Bernard is two years shy being able to vote, but she came with her mother, Abha Bernard to listen to the workshop.

"I think it's disappointing because CC4A has spent more time this year and last year to try to show the boards that people have strength inside and they would support the budget, but it seems like it didn't work," Kierin Bernard said.

Her mother said that the "will of the people" was not respected.

"It's extremely disappointing to see how seven people can decide what’s in the best interest of 12,000 voters," Abha Bernard said.

The town meeting is on May 2 at 7 p.m. in the Avon Senior Center, and the referendum is scheduled for May 11 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.