Town Council Recommends $28.3 Million Town Budget

The Town Council voted to recommend a to the Board of Finance, a 3 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

Factoring in the ’s requested , the Board of Finance will review a $79.4 million combined budget for fiscal year 2012-13.

The town side of the budget is comprised of the operating budget ($20,120,878), sewer fund ($1,752,526), capital improvement program ($1,892,783) and debt services ($4,546,338). The proposal marks a 2.91 percent increase over the 2011-12 budget.

The budget reflects a 7.99 percent increase on paper, but the actual spending increase for the school board budget is about 2.92 percent.

"This increase is a one year correction and results from budgeting in the 'gross' and the discontinuation of the revolving account mechanism as recommended by the auditors," according to the budget material presented to the council at Thursday's meeting.

No town staff will be cut should the proposed budget pass, but a full-time teen librarian will be added to staff for a cost of about $48,000, Town Council Chairman Mark Zacchio previously said.

Town Manager Brandon Robertson will get a 2.5 percent raise, bringing his salary to $133,841, Zacchio said, under the proposal.

As a result of last month's council budget workshop, a $100,000 buffer was added to Robertson's recommendation for the capital improvement program budget. The largest town projects listed are $302,797 in road repairs, $250,000 to replace a fire engine, $190,000 for replacing four Highway Division vehicles and $120,000 to replace two Buildings and Grounds dump trucks with plows.

While the proposed budget does not include funding to purchase two new police cruisers ($88,000), the department will request supplemental appropriations to fund that.

The Board of Finance public hearing for the budget is 7 p.m. on April 9 at the Avon Senior Center, followed by the budget workshop on April 11 at the same time and place. The annual town budget meeting is scheduled for May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the senior center and the budget referendum will be held there on May 16 at 6 a.m.

The proposed budget is posted on the town website.

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