2012 Budget Proposes 4% Tax Hike

Windsor's proposed budget for 2011-12 is about 1.5 percent more than the current year and could require a 4.18 percent increase in taxes, according to town officials.

Without that increase, several municipal positions could be eliminated and education funding reduced, according to Town Manager Peter Souza.

The municipal tax rate has increased in just two in the past six years (2011 and 2007), and "that pattern cannot be sustained if we are to maintain the current level of services that we provide," Souza said after presenting the proposal to the Town Council Monday night.

The tax increase is largely driven by the nearly $1.7 million in state revenue expected to be lost because of reductions being made to various grants that are included in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed state budget, the town manager said.

In addition to the decreasing revenue, the Windsor budget also proposes an increase in expenses. The proposal calls for increased funding for education and general government operating costs. While education and government account for 1.84 and 0.12 percent of the proposed tax hike, respectively, the lost revenue accounts for the remaining 2.22 percent of the 4.18 percent proposed increase.

Souza said that while the proposed increase may seem high, it is necessary to maintain the current quality and quantity of services provided to Windsor residents.

To drive the point home, Souza asserted that proceeding without the proposed increase would require the termination of 24 town employees, or the "total elimination of health, human services and information services departments," or the reduction of the board of education budget by 2.7 percent; the school board asked for a budget increase of 2.31 percent for 2011-12.

To make up for the town's loss in revenue and arrive at a total budget increase of 1.5 percent, Souza proposed the following:

• Provide health benefits to employees rather than hiring a third party to do so,
• Eliminate one police officer position and the funding for one replacement police cruiser,
• Reduce pavement management funds, and
• Ask non-union employees of the town to contribute more to their pension plan.

The town council is scheduled to vote on the budget on April 27. Until then, Souza and Councilor Ronald Eleveld encouraged residents to give their input by submitting their own budget via the town's Build-a-Budget feature on-line. The feature has been updated to reflect the proposal.