Belt-tightening results in a decrease

NORTH CANAAN — Both town and local school budgets are proposed to decrease in the 2013-14 fiscal year. Draft proposals, with some expected changes before a town vote in May, are currently showing a total reduction of nearly $45,000.The decrease reflects efforts to hold the line while still giving modest pay increases (some contractual); update security at North Canaan Elementary School; and not defer long-range plans for maintenance and capital spending.It will offset a chunk of another major hike to North Canaan’s Region One School District assessment, currently at $299,000 (see story this page).Much of the savings in the school budget is salaries and benefits for five North Canaan teachers who are retiring. One will not be replaced. The four new hires will be at lower salaries. The anticipated decrease is $140,000 in salaries and $40,000 in health insurance benefits. The early retirement incentive line item was raised from $15,000 to $70,000 to meet payout needs.Without the staffing change, the budget would be at about a 3 percent increase, North Canaan Elementary School (NCES) Principal Rosemary Keilty told the finance board during a March 26 presentation.Health insurance costs are expected to rise at least 8 percent across Region One. NCES teachers will pay 12 percent of premiums next year — which is an additional 1 percent, as per their contract.Other changes include a nearly 18 percent increase to the board clerk’s salary. Keilty said a new board clerk is in training. The increase reflects the anticipated number of hours needed for training and into the future. The new hire came after the former board clerk’s resignation last spring during an internal investigation. The job will pay $18,000 for what was posted as 15 to 20 hours per week. Duties include payroll, accounts payable and all financial filings.Replacement of textbooks and upgrades needed to comply with new Common Core curriculum standards is at $12,000, a 50 percent increase. A new line item is school safety. It is budgeted for $10,000 for not-yet-determined security enhancements.About 7,000 gallons of fuel oil was saved this past winter, credited to the replacement of the school’s oldest windows. In the past few years, improvements that included a new heating system have cut annual oil usage from about 42,000 to 22,000 gallons. However, that line item is currently at a small increase, taking it to $73,700, based on a projected $3.35 per gallon cost. Total NCES spending is proposed at $4,036,544, a 1.04 percent decrease, or $42,155.Municipal spendingThe Board of Selectmen is proposing to spend $2,618.94 less, a .0001 percent change for a total of $2,515, 563. Among the increases are 2 percent raises for nonunion town employees. The selectmen will once again defer raises for themselves.New radios at the town garage are needed to comply with Homeland Security, at a cost of $4,296. The resident state trooper program cost will rise by $5,800 to $85,141, but only if interim Resident State Trooper David Collins remains in the position. He is one of three troopers who have applied for the post. The town pays 70 percent of costs, which includes all trooper- and vehicle-related expenses. Differences are due mostly to individual trooper salaries. A decision is expected soon from the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The town has no input beyond accepting or refusing the trooper and contract as proposed by the state.Increases include an extra $1,440 for the Douglas Library, bringing its line item to $73,440. Recent years have found it getting a portion of requested funding increases, needed for a rise in use driven by the economy.The town social worker’s office has also been impacted by tough times. A nearly 15 percent increase, to $19,500, is proposed to add hours. Computer services will get an additional $3,050 to upgrade computers and Railroad Days will be bumped from $8,000 to $9,000 to cover recent shortfalls. There is little in anticipated savings. But continued recycling efforts have decreased what the town pays to have garbage removed by $8,000. Total sanitation department costs are projected at $373,260. Last year, the mill rate rose by 0.5 to 21.5. That included a $250,000 offset from the General Fund to help meet increases that included a $251,913 rise in the Region One assessment. That assessment was initially proposed at $327,725. AHA! momentWhat does not appear in either local budget is $8,000 for the AHA! after-school program’s director. Humes explained that the allocation for the director’s salary was removed at the advice of the auditor who reviewed the town’s financial records. The reasoning was that the director is not a town official, or an employee of the town.The matter bears some discussion, as it has extensively in the past, since shortly after it began nearly 20 years ago. The school board has long resisted making it a school program, as opposed to a town program using the building. Insurance coverage has been at the core of the debate, going back to when AHA! offered gymnastics. The question remains if a certified teacher will be required if AHA! is run as a school program.