MONROE, CT — Town Council Chairman Jonathan Formichella welcomed Rebecca O’Donnell at the special meeting of the council and the Board of Finance last Thursday. O’Donnell, who served on the finance board since 2019, is experiencing her first budget season as its chair.
“We’re so glad to have that same level of participation and partnership with the Board of Finance as we move forward with some challenging choices that we always have to make when spending taxpayer money,” Formichella said. “So I’d like to thank Chair O’Donnell for accepting that invitation, coming tonight and sharing all of your thoughts and opinions as we move forward with our budget and our budget discussions.”
“I thank you for your sentiments,” O’Donnell said, adding she has always found the annual meeting to be helpful in fostering communication and cooperation between the two boards.
“We will continue to provide guidance on affordability, while relying on the first selectman and Town Council to, more or less manage the process of setting individual budget amounts for the town operation of each department,” O’Donnell said.
The $107,069,131 town budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-26 carries a 2.84 percent spending increase to fund Monroe’s public schools and municipal services.
It includes $73,917,629 for education, which is $2,453,370 or 3.43 percent higher than the current $71,464,259 spending plan. The school board had requested a $4,303,370 or 6.02 percent increase.
The municipal budget will be reviewed by the Town Council, before the Board of Finance reviews the entire town budget, then a final proposal will come before voters at referendum on May 6.
The special joint meeting between the Town Council and Board of Finance began years ago, when Manjos was chairman, to ensure members of both government bodies were on the same page going into the budget process.
Balancing needs
“I know there’s a lot of people who coordinate and work behind the scenes, but it’s the decision making and work of the first selectman that coordinates all that,” she said.
O’Donnell also expressed her appreciation for the role of the Town Council in prioritizing purchases and capital projects, from roads and infrastructure improvements to every day occurrences.
Though the Ad Hoc Facilities Committee studying Monroe’s school space needs and solutions answers to the Board of Education, O’Donnell asked everyone to be mindful of what will be coming down the line.
Any committee recommendation will include multi-million-dollar capital projects.
“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse by any means, but just want the Town Council to be mindful,” O’Donnell said.
She expressed support of Rooney’s recommendation to use $4 million of surplus funds to ease the burden on taxpayers and praised Treasurer Frank Dutches for being “steadfast in delivering optimal returns despite rate fluctuations that we saw last year … [that] will likely continue this year.”
“When the budget is before the Board of Finance, we will definitely carefully review all the numbers, and craft any necessary modifications with our diligence,” O’Donnell said. “I think it’s always our goal that together we insure that Monroe’s financial health remains stable and strong.”
Unique challenges
Formichella said the meeting is meant to be a preliminary discussion on the budget process, the municipal side of the budget and revenues, as well as expectations for the capital improvement plan for the upcoming fiscal year and beyond.
During the meeting, Board of Finance member, Steve Kirsch, said the current proposal uses more of the undesignated fund balance than he would like to keep taxes lower, but he understands why the town has to do it, because of the revaluation year.
Kirsch said he believes the town is in a good enough position to bond more for capital projects, including for storm drain and paving projects for the town’s roads.
“Though education is not the Town Council’s purview, I think the reduction to the Board of Education’s request was simply too much,” Kirsch said. “It cuts into contractual salary increases and insurance.”
He said he thinks it is important for his board to find ways to restore more money to the education budget.
“I am in line with Rebecca O’Donnell and Steve Kirsch’s comments,” said Samantha Spino, a finance board member.
Town Councilman Jason Maur said he believes the budget should have a third column called “year to date,” so town officials can make comparisons of where the town is on revenues and actual expenditures compared to the prior year.
For example, Maur said if a line item was budgeted for $30,000 and the town only spent $2,000 year to date, officials could evaluate if the town is spending less in that area or if a higher expenditure is coming later in the year.
Maur also said he hopes insurance and salary adjustments from contracts being negotiated will be finalized before the budget proposal leaves the Board of Finance.
“Every year, the budget process presents unique challenges and it’s no different this year,” said Town Councilman Sean O’Rourke. “I’m sure we’ll successfully navigate this process as we do every year.”
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