By Josh LaBella
Voice Reporter
Saying the city is focused on making its financial future better, Mayor Nancy Rossi unveiled her second proposed budget last week in a meeting mandated by the city charter, and will end with a budget ordinance in May. Following that prescription, the council set the annual public hearing – the only time the public will have an opportunity to discuss the plan – for Tuesday, April 2 at Bailey Middle School at 6:30 p.m.
(See Budget outline, beginning page 7)
Totaling $163.3 million, the budget laid out shows a slight increase for the Board of Education’s funding and a .9 percent decrease in city department funding. All told, the Education Dept. will get $89.6 million, with the “city side” operating with $473.6 million if passed.
Mayor Rossi told the City Council the current year (FY2019), which ends on June 30, is trending positive and that her administration is projecting another operating budget surplus. Her budget for the 2020 fiscal year includes $6 million of MARB restructuring funds and is based on a tax collection rate of 98.4 percent.
“I stand before you tonight and submit a budget that is balanced, responsible and respectful to our taxpayers, businesses, employees, students and stakeholders,” said Rossi. “This budget does not request an increase in our taxes or the mill rate for the City of West Haven or the West Haven Fire Dept. Allingtown, and protects the core services that our residents expect and deserve.”
Rossi went on to say that the budget has the same number of public safety positions for both fiscal year 2019 and 2020. She also said that the Board of Education will be receiving more than it requested, due to state funding.
“The Board of Education will receive an amount greater than what (it) asked for in the amount of $1,631,526,” said Rossi. “This will allow them to set forth their long-term plan that includes improving technology and better prepares students for the challenges that lie ahead.”
As per the plan, funding from the MARB did drop to $6 million for the 2020 fiscal year. Rossi said the funds will “phase out” to 4$ million in FY2021 and $2 million in 2022. The amount and the practice have at least one administration critic wondering about the plan’s feasibility.
Third District councilman Aaron Charney has said the surplus for the 2019 fiscal year was entirely state money and, he wants assurance the money in the line item is the amount coming to the city, otherwise, the budget can easily have a “massive” hole in it.
“Unless we have something in writing or some sort of agreement, I just don’t see how building this money in is fiscally sound,” said Charney.
Charney said he had concerns with the amount of money budgeted for recycling. He said the city spent more than $450,000 on recycling this year, when it was budgeted for $249,900. He said the cost of recycling will only continue to rise and the budget needs to reflect that. He also had concerns over the budgets plan for bond payments.
“In the five-year plan it calls for a certain amount of interest payments next year,” said Charney. “That five-year plan was created just a couple months ago. Now it’s saying in budget we are paying less interest next year. So I have questions about how that happened.”
Peter Massaro, the councilman from the Sixth District, said from what he has read so far the city is “on track.” He did say he had a few issues with departments he chose not to name running over their budget. He said he wants to find out if they will take control of it.
Rossi said she and her administration plan to stay the course.
“In the coming months, my team and I will remain focused on identifying and implementing operating efficiencies and will continue to move economic development projects forward to provide additional growth in our grand list,” said Rossi. “West Haven is better positioned to attract business and commercial development projects now that we have stabilized out financial position.”