The Board of Finance has received the Town department budget requests for fiscal year 2021/22, though line item scrutiny has yet to take place. After a careful review of the municipal budget submitted by the Board of Selectmen, the finance board will schedule a Public Hearing for citizens’ questions and comments before final approval of the budget to be sent to voters.

The Regional District #11 Budget will be voted on at a May 4 tri-town referendum, though its impact on the town, per the assessment based on student enrollment, has not been released. Nor has the undesignated fund balance, from the current and previous fiscal year, been applied to the assessments.

The elementary school Board of Education will be presenting its proposal to the Board of Finance, which can approve it, or suggest reductions. The State imposed Minimum Budget Requirement has not yet been determined by the Department of Education, but taxpayers in previous years have forced the school’s budget to remain level, or reduced due to a decline in student population. Taxpayer approved school budgets have ranged from 0% increases to $120,000 decreases in the last decade.

The good news for the Government Budget is that the contract for emergency services with KB Ambulance, previously expected to rise from $51,600 to $110,000, has been negotiated at an increase of $2,000 for a total cost of $53,600. First Selectman Al Cahill explained that KB Ambulance completed the year with a $170,000 deficit due to a decrease in call volume, yet expects to use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to compensate for the revenue loss.

Less fortunate news is the deficit in the Fire Department’s Length of Service Award Program, which has been underfunded for a number of years, a shortage that has compounded since the program’s inception and has resulted in a funded ratio of approximately 11% of the accrued liability. Requested documentation has not yet been received, though a meeting scheduled with a program administrator should provide needed information. What is certain is the impact on this year’s budget.

The selectmen are recommending a 2% cost-of-living increment for appointed employees, such as the members of the road crew, though elected officials will not have a raise in the coming year. The minimum wage requirement, which increases to $13 per hour, seems to only impact those employed to work at the polls. Discussions on funding the Capital and Non-recurring Accounts such as Land Acquisition, which were frozen last year due to the costs associated with the pandemic, have not yet occurred.

There have been few discussions relative to department requests which remain more or less level with last year. However, questions were raised regarding the Town Clerk’s request for additional compensation for her assistant, which increased from $2,500 to $6,000 to reflect “actual hours worked”.  The line item has been overspent by more than $2000 thus far this fiscal year, with the assistant working seven hours per week, approximately half of the time the office is open, at a rate of $17.32 per hour. Though Town Hall has been closed for the entirety of the last year, the Town Clerk remains responsible for processing licenses, absentee ballots, and real estate transactions, which have risen dramatically over the course of this year. Other concerns raised were that Jarrett Toth, who has served as Assistant to the Town Clerk since February of 2020, has never been officially appointed by the Selectmen as required by Town ordinance, and has not taken steps toward State certification.  Historically, certified Town Clerks have been appointed as assistants to cover Hampton’s office in the Town Clerk’s absence.