Mayor: Everything's On the Budget-Cut Table

Despite extensive cuts to requested education and town government funding, Windsor voters turned out in the greatest numbers yet this budget season Monday when they sent town officials back to the drawing board.

The town council has already gone through three stages of official cuts to the budget, bringing the budgetary tax impact increase down to 0.54 percent down from Town Manager Peter Souza's proposed 3.18 percent increase.

Council members are scheduled to meet again on Mon., July 1, and they have some tough choices before them, according to Windsor Mayor Don Trinks.

"Our first budget was just an inflationary budget," Trinks said of the 2.18-percent tax increase, which was rejected by voters on May 14. "Now, if we come in at zero, that's a cut."

As for exactly what will be considered for elimination from the town's proposed spending plan, Trinks said he's unsure, adding, "I will definitely say I don't think anything is off the table."

As for the budget — the third proposal this season — that failed on June 25, Trinks said he was "optimistic" prior to the vote tally.

"Half a percent increase and no study. Those were the two big issues that people were telling us about," he said referencing Windsor High School's controversial and recently-canceled excellence and equity study.

Trinks also said he has hear people complain about the budget's increase while comparing it to lack of salary increases. The two are hard to compare, he said.

"Maybe their salary didn’t increase, but the business they work for, their costs did (increase). That’s what we are, the business of running the town, and our costs are up," said Trinks.

Exactly what voters are looking for remains to be seen, but Trinks said following Tuesday's vote that many of those opposed to the budget have been misinformed.

"I know the people advocating against the budget were putting out blatant misinformation. One of the flyers said the council approved $540k increase for the (board of education), which is not true. $200,000 we did [approve], and that $200,000 was specific to getting the foreign language teachers back... the other $340 was additional alliance grant money, " he said.

Trinks added that he expects the date of the next referendum to be scheduled at the town council's July 1 meeting.

The agenda has yet to be released, and it remains unclear whether or not budget cuts will be adopted on July 1.