Cheshire Town Council and Budget Committee Hold Saturday Budget Session on Public Safety, Library, and Revenue Outlook
Town Council · Meeting of March 23, 2024
CT CHESHIRE — Cheshire holds Saturday joint budget session covering public safety, library, and revenues. Budget Committee Chair Jim Jinks and Town Manager Sean convened the Town Council and Budget Committee to review fire, police, and library spending plans alongside a fiscal overview. Fire Chief Jack Kasner, a 20-year veteran of the department, warned that volunteer numbers have declined steadily since 2007 and that transitioning to a fuller career staff could cost roughly $2.5 million annually; he also flagged a likely need for a north-end substation as new development comes online.
Police Chief Neil Drife presented a near-flat non-salary budget of $23,000 above last year, but disclosed that a formal design of the department's 30-year-old prisoner cells has returned an estimate of $1.97 million — far above the $400,000 placeholder — a project expected to go to referendum. Library Director Beth Diaz reported her $1,819,453 request is only $59,000 more than the library's fiscal 2017 budget, while visits rose 29 percent in fiscal year 2023. On revenues, Finance Director Jim told the council the $1,046,915 motor vehicle tax grant is certain to disappear next year as the town's mill rate falls below the state cap.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,057 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of March 23, 2024, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
CHESHIRE — March 23, 2024 — The Cheshire Town Council and its Budget Committee held a joint special meeting Saturday morning to review proposed departmental budgets for the fire department, police department, and public library, and to receive a detailed briefing on the town's revenue picture for the coming fiscal year.
Budget Committee Chair Jim Jinks opened the session by noting the Saturday format was intended to give residents who cannot attend evening meetings a chance to observe. Attendance from the public was sparse.
The Full Story
Fire Chief Jack Kasner, who has led the department since 2004, presented a budget he described as prudent and modest given that the town recently committed $2.5 million to purchase two new pieces of fire apparatus, with a 39-month delivery lead time. The department's overall proposed budget increase is 10.8 percent, driven largely by salary costs tied to the addition of a deputy fire marshal. Non-salary lines are up 7.69 percent, with vehicle maintenance accounting for much of that increase.
Kasner devoted significant time to a long-term staffing concern: volunteer numbers have declined steadily since 2007, following a national trend. The department's combination model relies on six full-time and three part-time career staff augmented by roughly 50 volunteers. Career staff cover daytime hours from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; after 5 p.m. the department is fully volunteer.
"If everybody's at an anniversary party, it may take you 14, 15, 20 minutes to get a fire truck in front of your house." — Fire Chief Jack Kasner
Kasner said the demographic of 18-to-28-year-olds who historically filled volunteer ranks has shrunk in Cheshire, and that he may eventually need to ask the council to fund additional career positions — a step that he estimated could cost roughly $2.5 million annually. He also raised the possibility of a north-end substation, potentially combined with police, to address response times as new development brings hundreds of apartments and retail space to the Route 10 corridor. Town Manager Sean acknowledged that a formal study of fire response coverage is likely needed sooner rather than later, noting a $4.5 million to $5 million construction placeholder has been in the capital plan for years with no land cost included.
Police Chief Neil Drife presented what he characterized as a status-quo budget, with a non-salary increase of $23,000 — $13,000 of which is attributable to maintenance agreements, including a Motorola radio-system contract that benefits multiple town departments. Drife reported the department has struggled to maintain its authorized strength of 48 sworn officers; as of the Monday following the meeting, four vacancies will exist, with three candidates in final interviews and one officer graduating from the academy April 4. Officers hired and trained in Cheshire who leave for departments with defined-benefit pension plans have now reached double digits — 10 departures to date.
"We've been at 48 for about six months in the past six years." — Police Chief Neil Drife
The council also heard that a renovation of the police department's 30-year-old prisoner cell block, which had carried a placeholder estimate of $400,000, has been formally designed and priced. The Public Building Commission presented an estimated cost of $1.97 million, covering conversion from barred cells to glass-fronted corrections-grade units, a redesigned booking area with two separate processing spaces, upgraded plumbing and HVAC, a shower for decontamination, and reduction from 11 cells to seven — one of which would be fully ADA-compliant. Council members questioned whether a smaller scope, covering only three or four cells, might reduce the cost; Drife acknowledged the design could be revisited but cautioned against leaving unrenovated cells available for use.
Library Director Beth Diaz presented a budget request of $1,819,453, a 3.14 percent increase, noting that the library's appropriation today is only $59,000 more than it was in fiscal year 2017 — a cumulative increase of 3.3 percent over eight years. She said staffing has been reduced through attrition from 32 employees and 24.7 full-time equivalents when she arrived to 24 employees and 21.14 FTEs now. Diaz reported visits to the library were up 29 percent in fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022, study room bookings rose 163 percent, and technology consultations totaled 6,941 for the year. A value calculator estimates the library returned nearly $3.8 million in services against a $1.7 million appropriation.
"I think for the bang for the buck, the amount of volume — you'll see it a lot — the library is a great one." — Town Manager Sean
Finance Director Jim concluded the session with a revenue review. Key takeaways: the motor vehicle tax grant — worth $1,046,915 this fiscal year — will disappear next year because the town's mill rate, now projected at 28.38, falls below the state cap of 32.46. Building permit revenues are estimated at $1.1 million for the coming fiscal year despite collecting roughly $1.5 million this year, reflecting a policy choice to budget conservatively and avoid a future revenue cliff once North End construction activity tapers. The town's municipal revenue sharing account distribution — $726,000 received this fiscal year — is budgeted at $500,000 for next year with no guarantee of payment. The use of fund balance as a revenue offset is proposed at $1 million, down from $2 million the prior year. The town expects to issue $20 million in bonds on April 3 and was awaiting ratings decisions from S&P and Fitch, with its triple-A bond rating under review.
Why It Matters
The Saturday session laid out several fiscal pressure points that will shape Cheshire's budget over the next few years. The loss of more than $1 million in motor vehicle tax grant revenue next year is certain, and the council was told clearly that no adjustments should be expected unless the state changes the program. At the same time, the police cell block renovation — now priced at nearly $2 million rather than the $400,000 placeholder — is expected to go to referendum, adding to a debt load that already includes roughly $85 million to $90 million in planned school construction borrowing. The fire department's staffing trajectory and north-end coverage gap represent a longer-range cost question the council was advised to begin studying formally this budget cycle.
Key Motions & Votes
No formal votes were taken at this meeting.
Source
Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council meeting, March 23, 2024