Budget, Budget, Budget

When you read my column, the Mayor will have presented his2011-2012 proposed budget for the City. It will no doubt be the talk of the City. I will certainly comment on it over the coming weeks ashearings are held and the Boards of A&T and BOA move forward toapprove a budget for the next fiscal year.What I can discuss is the impact the proposed State budget byGovernor Malloy will have on Shelton. It has already been attacked byRepublicans because it raises taxes. Contrary to popular belief evenDemocrats do not want to raise taxes, but it is not realistic to thinkthat a 3.2 billion dollar deficit could be eliminated with cuts alone. Thecuts amount to almost 1.8 billion dollars. The Governor will reduce thenumber of State Agencies by 30%. State employees are being askedto help save a billion dollars each year. The State will negotiate thesechanges. Unlike Wisconsin, State employees will not have their rightsto organize and collective barging taken away by legislative action. Itseems in the name of saving money, Wisconsin wants to return to thetime when coal mine owners hired goons to club striking workers to gettheir way while the local police stood by and watched.On the revenue side of the State budget, State income taxes willrise as will the State sales tax. But look at how that money will bespent. The aid to cities and towns is not decreasing. The CostEducation Sharing (CES) program is not being reduced. Shelton will getalmost five million dollars each year. Remember if these funds arereduced the money to run the city has to come from somewhere soShelton taxpayers would have to come up with the additional funds.Here is a bonus for Shelton and other cities and towns. For the firsttime a part of the sales tax revenue will come directly to Shelton. Morethan 182 thousand dollars in the first year. Additional property taxeson boats etc. will generate 405 thousand dollars and the hoteloccupancy tax, which I pushed four years ago when I ran for mayor,will generate more then 166 thousand dollars the first year. There arealso other revenue sharing programs that will benefit Shelton. Whatthis means is that in the first year, Shelton will receive just under amillion dollars in extra revenue and almost 1.4 million the second year.So while the tax burden will be shared, property taxpayers will benefitbecause the mil rate should not need to be increased significantly if atall as time goes on. All of this information on the State web site, if anyone doesn’t believe my numbers.Back to the budget in Shelton- over the next several months,hearings and workshops will be held to discuss the budget. Everyoneneeds to attend and become familiar with the budget requests. Your