The City Council Monday at 5 p.m. will conduct a special meeting to adopt the proposed spending plan approved by the Budget and Appropriations Committee that calls for no tax increase and $3 million extra for schools the largest one-year increase by Mayor Joe Ganim since his return to office in 2015.
The budget also provides tax cuts to qualifying senior citizens.
To compare Hartford increased local school funding by $1 million. Closer to home Stratford increased its education allocation by $500,000.
In the last days of the state legislative session it was announced city schools will receive an extra $9 million above what had been anticipated so the financially struggling district has more to work with to keep up with wages increase and higher administrative costs.
After the budget committee acts on the financial plan ratification by the full council is largely routine.
Once the full council approves the plan it then goes back to the mayor’s desk for two weeks for unlikely veto consideration. The council then sets the mill rate which will remain the same.
For the most part this has been a quiet budget season something that could change next year during revaluation of taxable property required by state law every five years. In addition, federal American Rescue Plan dollars have also dried up.
