ANSONIA - A public hearing over the Mayor Frank Tyszka's proposed budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 24), in the Aldermanic Chambers of city hall (253 Main St).
The public hearing is a chance for residents to give input on the budget proposal before it goes to the Board of Aldermen for further modification and adoption.
The budget contains a proposed mill rate of 30.82 mills. That's a 2.27 mill, or 7.95 percent increase compared to the current mill rate of 28.55 mills.
The budget proposal keeps the school budget at $38,612,089, the same as the current year.
It also slightly lowers city-side spending to $29,484,066, which is a decrease of $22,051 compared to the current year.
The budget is likely to return to voters at a referendum before it can be adopted. That's because, under charter changes passed in 2014, city budgets require referendum approval if the increase in 'net taxes to be collected' is more than 3 percent.
Tyszka's budget contains a 9.98 percent increase in 'net taxes to be collected.'
The referendum would be scheduled after the Board of Aldermen vote to finalize a budget proposal and send it to voters.
Although Tyszka has previously described the budget as "an austere spending plan," he said a tax increase is still needed due to budget decisions made under his predecessor, David Cassetti.
Tyszka has said Cassetti’s budgets relied too heavily on money from the city’s $41 million sale of its sewer system (WPCA). In addition, the current city budget predicted about $1.5 million in revenue from a fuel cell project which hasn’t been built.
Thomas Hamilton, a financial consultant hired by Tyszka’s administration, said in February that the city was heading toward a "fiscal cliff" if it continued to rely on drawing down its reserves.
Tyszka’s budget proposes using $3 million from a reserve account leftover from the sale of the WPCA. He said the intention is to bring that number down over the coming years.
The city Board of Apportionment and Taxation (BOAT) has been holding meetings throughout March to speak with department heads about their budget requests. Those meetings are open to the public.
Mill Rate Impact
Tax bills are calculated by multiplying the assessed value (not the appraised value) by the mill rate and then dividing by 1,000.
Under the proposed budget, a single-family home on Holbrook Street assessed at $180,000 would pay $408.60 more per year in taxes.
A house on Gardners Lane assessed at $248,000 would pay $562.96 more per year.
A house on High Acres Road assessed at $366,000 would pay $830.20 more per year.