Reprinted from The Trumbull Times © Copyright 2009
April 30, 2009

By Julie Weisberg

The Town Council approved the Board of Finance's recommended 2009-10 budget at a special meeting last night at Town Hall.

Council members voted 10-9, along party lines, to approve the budget, making no changes to the finance board's recommended $134.5 million budget. Democrats form the majority on the council.

In March, the Board of Finance skimmed some $600,000 from First Selectman Ray Baldwin’s $135.1 million proposal, a reduction of about 0.5%.

For the school allotment, the finance board trimmed $100,000, reducing the total to $84 million.

The remaining reductions came from the $51 million town side of the budget.

The finance board passed the budget by a 3-0 vote, with all three Republican members abstaining.

On the town side, the board saved money by cutting a $200,000 allotment to hire an appraiser to perform the state mandated property revaluation.

Also, the members cut $130,000 for a sophisticated mapping of the town. The project, if approved, would include using an airplane to take precise images. Currently, the town departments use updated 1950s vintage maps.

Before approving and sending the proposed budget to the Town Council, finance board members also trimmed some $13,000 by eliminating 50 percent of the requested money for seminars for town employees.

The Times will have expanded coverage of the Town Council's vote on the budget in next Thursday's issue.