Cheshire Town Council and Budget Committee Reach Near-Final Budget Agreement at $133 Million
Town Council · Meeting of April 20, 2023
CT CHESHIRE — Cheshire Town Council and Budget Committee converge on a $133 million spending plan with a roughly 2.24 percent tax increase. Meeting jointly in a special session on April 20, Council Chair Peter Talbot and Finance Director Jim Jinks walked members through a draft budget targeting a mill rate of 35.09 — a full mill below the town manager's original proposal of 36.09 and up 0.77 mills from the current rate of 34.32, adding approximately $164 to the average homeowner's annual bill. Roughly $150,000 in reductions to general town government were outlined, including salary savings from police and public works retirements and a police records clerk position cut from 35 to 20 hours per week.
An informal 8-to-1 consensus directed that the annual bulky waste collection, budgeted at roughly $280,000, be funded through remaining American Rescue Plan Act dollars rather than the operating budget. A fully insured health insurance alternative through Cigna was reviewed and set aside after analysis showed it would cost approximately $3.3 million more per year than the town's existing self-funded plan totaling $19.9 million.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 985 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of April 20, 2023, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
CHESHIRE — April 20, 2023 — The Cheshire Town Council and Budget Committee held a joint special session Thursday to work through the final details of the fiscal year 2024 municipal budget, converging on a spending plan of roughly $133 million that would raise the mill rate by approximately 0.77 mills, or about 2.24 percent, over the current rate of 34.32.
Town Manager Sean and Finance Director Jim Jinks led council members through a series of adjustments designed to reduce the town manager's original proposed mill rate of 36.09 to a working target of 35.09 — a full one-mill reduction from the manager's proposal — while preserving most major services and drawing on a projected surplus of more than $2.6 million.
The Full Story
The session opened with a brief executive session on a property acquisition matter before turning to the budget workshop. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to a line-by-line review of proposed spending reductions, revenue adjustments, and the mechanics of the town's mill rate calculator, which Finance Director Jinks and the town manager had prepared in advance of the meeting.
On the expenditure side, the working draft called for roughly $150,000 in reductions to general town government, achieved through a combination of salary savings from personnel separations and retirements in the police department, animal control, and public works; a reduction of a full-time police records clerk position to 20 hours per week, saving $25,110; deferral of fiber network extensions to Firehouse 2 and 3, saving $16,780; and a $15,000 trim to the workstation replacement line, leaving that account at approximately $45,000. A corresponding reduction in Social Security contributions across those salary changes totaled about $28,000. The Board of Education budget was targeted for a $400,000 reduction, an amount Council Chair Peter Talbot described as the upper limit the superintendent had indicated the district could absorb without significant program disruption. Council members noted that a $125,000 special education cost savings included in the governor's budget proposal might not survive the legislative appropriations process and could not be counted on.
The most extended debate of the evening centered on the town's annual bulky waste collection, budgeted at approximately $280,000 to $300,000. Several members argued the service was one of the few municipal offerings used by virtually every household, and that cutting it would save the average homeowner only about $28 to $29 per year. One council member made the case bluntly:
"I think we pay enough in taxes at $133 million budget. We can't find $300,000 for a service that people expect and that help. I don't have a pickup truck." — Town Council member Don Walsh
The council reached an informal consensus of roughly 8 to 1 to fund the bulky waste collection through remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds rather than the operating budget, reducing the draw on general fund balance by approximately $280,000. That decision left an estimated $1.5 million in ARPA funds available for other uses, including a possible contingency cushion for the school construction project.
On the revenue side, the council reviewed an additional approximately $185,000 in projected revenues above original estimates, drawn from adjustments to supplemental motor vehicle taxes and interest and lien income. The draft budget proposed increasing the use of general fund balance from the originally assumed $1.3 million to $2 million, still well within the town's current 12-plus percent fund balance ratio and above the 10 percent floor recommended by credit rating agencies. The council also discussed formally updating the town's fund balance policy to set the floor at 10 percent, in line with rating agency guidance.
"I would say, like I said, my comment has not so much to do with the $300,000. It has to do with what's the right number of years." — Council Vice Chair Jim Jinks, on the frequency of bulky waste collection
The meeting also addressed a health insurance comparison showing a fully insured alternative through Cigna would cost approximately $3.3 million more annually than the town's current self-funded program, which carries an estimated total cost of $19.9 million including stop-loss coverage. Members agreed more study was warranted but that switching insurers this budget cycle was not under consideration.
"This tells us in the short term, at least as we're making decisions today, we need to stay the course." — Council Chair Peter Talbot
Members scheduled a Zoom check-in meeting for Monday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. and a final in-person budget adoption meeting for Wednesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Outstanding items heading into those meetings included a final answer from the library director on the feasibility of restoring Sunday library hours and confirmation of any Board of Education reaction to the $400,000 reduction.
Why It Matters
The budget decisions reached Thursday will set Cheshire's tax rate for the coming fiscal year. For the average homeowner, the emerging framework translates to a tax increase of roughly $164 per year, or about 2.24 percent, compared to the current rate. The council's choice to fund bulky waste pickup through ARPA rather than the operating budget preserves the service for this year but leaves the council that takes office after Cheshire's November 2023 elections to decide whether and how to budget for it going forward. A looming school construction debt-service spike in the out years — referenced repeatedly by multiple members — also hangs over the current framework; several members indicated they would like future surplus funds or ARPA remainder dollars directed toward smoothing that increase.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Fund bulky waste collection through ARPA funds rather than the operating budget Tally: For: 8, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 9
- Action: Zoom budget review meeting scheduled — Monday, April 24, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
- Action: In-person budget adoption meeting scheduled — Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
Source
Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council (Joint Special Meeting with Budget Committee) meeting, April 20, 2023