Property tax hike looms

Most homeowners will see a property tax hike of at least $150 this year if the proposed budget eyed by the city’s Board of Finance is approved.
The $171.5 million spending plan that fiscal overseers appear poised to endorse this month would drive the mill rate up by 6 percent, officials said.
“It’s really the best we can do without cutting services,” said Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski.
Mayor Art Ward said the proposed hike “serves the minimal needs of the community.”
“I don’t want to shortchange it and just delay the inevitable,” the mayor said.
Hardest hit are the city’s public works department, which sought a big increase, and the Board of Education.
The proposed budget that fiscal overseers reviewed Monday night included a 5 percent increase for the school over last year’s approved spending tally – but that figure proved woefully short of what’s needed.
Superintendent Philip Streifer said that it doesn’t count the $908,000 the city is adding to the existing budget – a portion of the extra school aid it got – and doesn’t take into account the spiraling costs of special education.
He said the school system can’t get by with the $99.8 million allocation currently included in the tentative budget. That’s not enough to cope with soaring costs, the superintendent said.
However, Streifer said, he believes there are additional revenues that the city could include that might help make an increase possible.
The school “wants to work with you,” Streifer told finance board members.
“We’re in this together,” Miecznikowski agreed, adding that “we’ve got your back” on the out-of-control special education expenses.
City Comptroller Glenn Klocko said that spending requests were up more than 8 percent to $177.3 million. But revenues, he said, are flat.
His department recommended cuts totaling $5.8 million that bring the increase to a more manageable 5 percent level.
But revaluation makes the pain greater.
Because almost all the property in Bristol is worth more than it was in 2002, up an average of 42 percent, the mill rate could drop from today’s 34.71 to 24.95 to bring in the same amount of money to city coffers.
The budget, though, requires a mill rate of 26.45 in order to bring in the necessary revenue to cover anticipated costs.
Klocko said that means most homeowners will pay more than $150 extra this year and some will pay much more than that, if their homes rose in value by significantly more than 42 percent. Condominium owners are going to take some of the largest hits because their assessments generally rose much faster than single-family homes.
School and city leaders are meeting Tuesday morning to go over numbers in greater detail. Officials said they expect to see some revisions in the education numbers before a spending plan is finished.
The finance board plans to adopt a budget on April 22. A joint session of the City Council and finance commissioners will put the final seal of approval on a new budget in mid-May.
The budget takes effect on July 1,when a new municipal fiscal year begins.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com