Budget rejected

WINSTED — About a quarter of Laurel City’s eligible voters came out Tuesday to reject a proposed $32.6 million budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The budget failed by a vote of 996 to 689. Selectmen will be going back to the drawing board at their next meeting to look for cuts.

Republican Selectman David Cappabianca said he was surprised Wednesday that the budget had not passed and that the board would have to find a way to appease residents who are struggling in a tough economy.

"I don’t think it was an outrageous margin of defeat," the selectman said. "And obviously there’s still a big chunk of the community that supports education, so we have to take that into consideration. I’m very disappointed in the results. It’s happened before and we’ll have to make the necessary adjustments."

Winsted’s proposed school budget accounted for $20.6 million of the total budget and selectmen reduced the Board of Education’s proposed spending package by $700,000 before sending it to voters. The package received the support of voters at a May 5 annual town meeting, where attempts to make further cuts were rejected.

Cappabianca said he did not know how much money selectmen will have to cut from the budget to make it acceptable to Laurel City constituents, but said it is likely additional cuts will need to be made to the school budget.

"I haven’t discussed it with other board members yet, but we are looking at having to come up with substantial cuts, in my opinion, and some of it will have to come out of education," he said.

Democratic Selectman Candy Perez said she had opposed the budget but that she does not think cuts need to come from education.

"I think it’s unfortunate that they didn’t tell the whole story about the budget," she said of the Republican majority on the board. "On paper it was a 2-percent increase, but taxes would be raised more than 7 percent." Perez said limited state revenues were partially to blame for the increased burden on taxpayers and that selectmen need to restructure some of their municipal spending proposals.

Community Lawyer Charlene LaVoie said she believes the budget vote reflects general economic pain among voters.

"I think the budget vote clearly reflects the citizens’ concern that we’re in a recession," she said. "Unemployment is up, housing is down, gas and food prices are way up. The citizens have the common sense to understand that we’re in a recession."

Cappabianca said the budget will likely be among the main agenda items at the next selectmen’s meeting, Monday, June 2, at 7 p.m.