Naugatuck residents will have a chance to voice their concerns on the proposed $109 million budget tonight.
The joint Board of Mayor and Burgesses and Board of Finance is holding a mandated public hearing on the proposed 2012-13 budget at 6:30 p.m. in the Davis Auditorium at , 543 Rubber Ave.
Residents have to state their names and addresses before speaking. They will be allotted a few minutes to voice any questions or concerns on the budget before both boards.
After the public hearing, the joint boards is expected to return to on Thursday, May 24, for a 6:30 p.m. meeting to vote on a budget. The joint boards may set the budget that night, as well as the tax rate, for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
After that point, residents that wish to contest the proposed budget can do so by forcing a referendum, which requires a number of signatures.
Mayor Robert Mezzo has posted on his blog an FAQ that addresses many common questions regarding the budget process.
Some highlights in the proposed budget:
- A 3.15 percent increase in the total municipal budget, coming in at $50.08 million, up from $48.5 million in the current year.
- A 3.54 percent increase in the education budget, coming in at $59.01 million up from a flat $57 million in the current year.
- The mill rate, or tax rate, would increase from 32.81 mills to .
- Based on that 34.04 mill rate calculation, a resident that owns a home assessed at $150,000 would pay $5,106 in annual taxes, or $184.50 more in taxes than under the previous mill rate of 32.81 mills.
- According to the proposed budget, the borough homes to collect an additional $2.7 million in taxes from all borough residents pay for the increases ($66.5 million in the upcoming year versus $63.7 million in the previous year).
- The education portion of the budget has been contentious this year, particularly due to the closure of Central Avenue School as a K-4 institution. The building would then be repurposed as an early learning center, housing the publicly-funded Head Start and School Readiness programs.
Mayoral Aide Edward Carter provided Patch the following chart, showing the tax increases over the past five years on homes assessed at three different values.
Year Assessment Mill Rate Tax Due Increase Percent2007 $163,980.00 0.03152 $5,168.65 $0 0.00%
2008 $163,980.00 0.03152 $5,168.65 $0 0.00%
2009 $163,980.00 0.03202 $5,250.64 $81.99 1.56%
2010 $163,980.00 0.03281 $5,380.18 $129.54 2.41%
2011 $163,980.00 0.03404 $5,581.88 $201.70 3.61% 5 Yr Inc.
$413.23 7.58% 7.40% Year Assessment Mill Rate Tax Due Increase Percent
2007 $198,340.00 0.03152 $6,251.68 $0 0.00%
2008 $198,340.00 0.03152 $6,251.68 $0 0.00%
2009 $198,340.00 0.03202 $6,350.85 $99.17 1.56%
2010 $198,340.00 0.03281 $6,507.54 $156.69 2.41%
2011 $198,340.00 0.03404 $6,751.49 $243.95 3.61% 5 Yr Inc.
$499.81 7.58% 7.40% Year Assessment Mill Rate Tax Due Increase Percent
2007 $267,260.00 0.03152 $8,424.04 $0 0.00%
2008 $267,260.00 0.03152 $8,424.04 $0 0.00%
2009 $267,260.00 0.03202 $8,557.67 $133.63 1.56%
2010 $267,260.00 0.03281 $8,768.80 $211.13 2.41%
2011 $267,260.00 0.03404 $9,097.53 $328.73 3.61% 5 Yr Inc.
$673.49
7.40%
See a copy of the proposed budget attached to this article.
