Reprinted from The Connecticut Post © Copyright 2008
April 24, 2008

TRUMBULL — By a unanimous vote that belied divisions on individual items, the Town Council on Thursday approved an operating budget of $132,132,414 for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The final vote slightly tweaked the Board of Finance vote last month, reducing it by about $17,000. Finance Director Lynn Heim said the final mill rate should be close to the 24.80 rate projected before Thursday's vote compared to this year's 22.22 rate, an increase of 11.6 percent.

The final mill rate will be set by the finance board next month.

By far the most controversial item before the council Thursday was whether to restore funds to the Board of Education, targeted by the finance board and council Finance Committee for a 4.5 percent boost in this year's $77.6 million.

With parents — some accompanied by children — crowding the chamber, Democrat Kathleen Bivona proposed restoring $383,000, far less than the $1.35 million the school board hoped for.

Bivona said that would be enough to prevent the most onerous proposed school cuts — such as to the Talented and Gifted program as well as an assortment of middle and high school athletic and extracurricular activities.

But though the 11 council Democrats were joined by Republican Martha Jankovic-Mark, the motion still fell two votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to restore funds. Minority Leader Carl Massaro said Republicans weren't expecting a proposal to restore school budget funds and suggested Democrats did so only because they knew it wouldn't pass.

But Majority Leader Mary Beth Thornton said it was prompted by meetings with school officials in the last few days.

But schools won't be the only ones hurting.

For example, the budget also does away with the town's leaf pickup, leaving residents, including the elderly, to fend for themselves this year.

First Selectman Raymond G. Baldwin Jr. said he was particularly disappointed that the town hadn't approved boosting the $35,000 part-time economic development director to a full-time post, which Democrats championed as something that would boost the town's flat grand list.

The actual townwide budget total is $139,119,688, but includes special allocations for sewers and the golf course, which are paid for outside of the general fund.