The public will get its one and only chance to let city officials know their views on Mayor Nancy N. Rossi’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023 in a public hearing set for Tuesday, March 29 at the West Haven High School Auditorium at 6:30. Mrs. Rossi unveiled her $168.3 million spending plan before the City Council in a special session, March 17.
The public hearing is the only opportunity the public has to address the budget before it goes into a six-week review by the City Council. Under the City Charter, the review must be completed, and a final vote taken on the budget on or before the first Thursday in May.
The best news for taxpayers is the mayor’s plan, though increasing spending by about $3 million over last year, will keep the city’s mill rate the same at 34. A mill is the dollar amount of taxes paid per thousand of assessed value. The rate does not include fire tax levies in the West Shore and First Taxation Districts, still to be determined by the fire commissions when they release their budgets. The Fire Department of West Haven: Allingtown will not see an increase in rates under the plan.
While noting the city was coming out of the worst years in its recent history, the mayor tried to keep an upbeat attitude in her prepared remarks.
“The City of West Haven, although facing some of the toughest times in our history over the last several years, including a health pandemic and unfortunate criminal behavioral, continues to make needed structural changes and improvements to meet our long-term strategic goals,” she said. “The fiscal year 2023 recommended budget is balanced, makes critical investments in our community and educational system and is fiscally responsible. The recommended budget does not increase the City or Allingtown Fire District tax mill rates.”
Since she took office in December 2017, Rossi has been under the fiscal microscope of the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB). This was prompted by former Mayor Edward O’Brien’s decision to bond to pay off a decade-old deficit that had been carried over. Changes in state law put West Haven and Hartford under review, with the MARB having veto power over budget decisions, while providing state funding until the books could be balanced.
Rossi was able to craft a spending plan without state help last year, and nixed state funds this year as well.
“The budget does not include any state restructuring grant funding from MARB, for a second straight year. I am proud to report that the City of West Haven has managed four consecutive balanced budgets, all producing surpluses. We expect a fifth operating surplus for fiscal year 2022, when the audit is completed. Our fund balance or “rainy-day fund” continues to grow, giving the city financial flexibility and stability as we look to a post-COVID world,” she said.
Two positive pieces of news in the address included a state increase in Payment-in-Lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) grants, given to cities will non-taxable properties such as universities and other institutions. Also, the city’s debt service is decreasing by more than $3 million, allowing that money to be distributed elsewhere.
The mayor turned to projects that will increase the city’s Grand List over the next few years.
“We look forward to completing and moving forward many current economic development and community projects, which will increase the commercial grand list further stabilizing our tax mill rate. The flood gates and new lighted bridge at the mouth of the Cove River will be completed this summer, the permits to complete the raising of Beach Street are awaiting approval at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the New England Brewing Company will break ground at the former site of the Savin Rock Conference Center, and Hartford Health Care will be moving into the Allingtown Center. We will continue to negotiate an interlocal agreement and timeline with the Simon Group on the much anticipated ‘Haven’ project,” she said.
Meanwhile, the West Haven High School project is nearing completion “on time and under budget,” and plans for a new Washington School are underway.
The American Rescue Plan ACT funds (ARPA) are earmarked to complete some longstanding projects in the city, including the Arts Center at the former Masonic Temple on Center Street, first announced in 2009. Also, the Allingtown Library branch is set for funding some three years after being closed, a victim of redevelopment in the Allingtown Center.
“The American Rescue Plan Act funding of $29 million is before the City Council for review and approval. The plan, when approved by the council, will address many much needed projects and programs such as completing the city’s Arts Center, which will be a catalyst for the revitalization of the center business district; prioritize and address chronic neighborhood flooding throughout the city; enlarge and renovate our senior center allowing for additional programing; invest in a new Allingtown Library, and address many other important social and economic issues that will benefit West Haven residents. I have appointed an ARPA Committee to execute the council’s approved plan. The committee is charged with completing the projects on time and within budget. All projects, meetings, budget, and invoices will be posted online to assure accountability and transparency,” she said.
With the hearing on Tuesday, the six-week review comes to the council, which meets, traditionally, as a committee-of-the-whole, under the chairmanship of Finance Chairman Bridgette Hoskie (D-1). The committee meets in one session that is suspended, rather than adjourned, so that quorums on any given night are not a problem.
Under the charter, a super-majority of nine affirmative votes of the 13 members is needed to make any alterations to the budget. That has been a difficult threshold at times, prohibiting adjustments over the years.
Once the review is over, the council must pass the budget ordinance by the first Thursday of May. To affirm any changes made in the budget, the ordinance must pass by majority vote. If the budget is voted down, the proposed budget as originally given becomes law by default. This has happened several times in the past two decades.
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2 area’s of concern in the spending of $29 MILLION are …….1. AN ARTS CENTER…..AND…..2 A NEW LIBRARY……both of these PIE IN THE SKY SPENDING PROJECTS have MOSTLY GONE AWAY IN
EVERY CITY IN AMERICA……I’ve researched both of these spending projects NATIONWIDE which has
resulted in mostly if not all major Citys have eliminated BOTH…….and Arts Center is typically for the
UPPER CLASS which is not West Haven, and Librarys have been closed in huge numbers as the result of an INTERNET AND THE USE OF COMPUTER by everyone whether you own one or have access in many cases where computer use centers have been established by City’s and Towns. has turned on a worldwide ability to research and READ anything that interests you……Library’s are now a DINASOUR…..PROJECTS that are “FOR THE PEOPLE”, AND “BY THE PEOPLE”, and in the BEST INTERESTS TO ALL …..far outweigh the lucrative spending that only a few will capitalize on such as these 2 projects of and ARTS CENTER & LIBRARY…..This money can be well spent on PROJECTS that BENEFIT ALL IN WEST HAVEN…..