May 9, 2008

City budget likely to rise less than 4 percent

Mayor Art Ward said Friday that department heads have managed to find ways to carve spending out of the $173 million budget approved by the Board of Finance.
As a result, he said, the proposed spending plan could contain less than a 4 percent increase in the mill rate instead of the 6.5 percent originally envisioned.
"We don't have any money," Ward said, so there's no choice but to ratchet down spending.
The mayor said the lower numbers likely won't cause any layoffs, but there will be an impact on the city's ability to provide services that residents have come to expect.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, said taxpayers better brace themselves.
He called this year's budget woes "the tip of the iceberg."
Nicastro, who is also a city councilor, said that this year's state budget situation is "terrible," but it will get worse next year. He said municipalities will get hit even harder.
Ward said that he knows people are going to struggle to pay property tax bills with energy and food costs up so much, particularly with revaluation's slight shift of the overall tax burden more onto the shoulders of homeowners.
"That's the times we're in," the mayor said.


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

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Easy for the Mayor to shrug this off. He received a significant increase in his salary this year over last year.

Anonymous said...

Should have seen it coming.


Are the making cuts or cutting services?

Anonymous said...

You know what, its time for some layoffs, the REAL world are starting to layoff people to make sure their companies stay afloat.
Bristol needs to do the same.
"will be an impact on the city's ability to provide services that residents have come to expect'
WE tax payers don’t see much of these " services" anyway. We are all hurting and cutting back big time, its about time the city learn
to cut back too!

Anonymous said...

Is the extra millions that Klocko said the state was providing part of this equation?

Anonymous said...

Looks like Mr. Nicastro is trying to have the people think that his no tax increase was good and justified.
Ironically, if he had raised taxes 1%-2% we would be in much better shape to handle this downturn.
He dug a hole for all of us.

Anonymous said...

Now is not the time to raise taxes. Good job Art Ward, etc.

Anonymous said...

I want no increase at all!

Anonymous said...

I say lay off people from City Hall, obviously they dont have enough work to do since they were caught surfing the internet and visiting awful sites months back. Is that what we are spending our hard earned dollars on?? I sure dont want my tax dollars to go to people who are looking for a date online while they are suppose to be working working.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know if city hall looked at retirement incentives in this budget? Do we know how many city employees are already eligible to retire, but holding on and keeping a position open that may not be needed? Doesn't that reduce staff without lay offs or cutting services? Does cutting services mean the dump will be closed on saturdays now?

Anonymous said...

We certainly do have the money, Mayor ward, in the very large reserve fund the City is saving for some "rainy day." Its time to show Mayor Klocko who is the boss and tap into that. In case you hadn't noticed, a lot of us are carrying umbreallas.

Anonymous said...

How much money did the Bristol legislative delegation bring home to projects or the city? They are part of the problem, if you ask him - happy to strut around at the capitol with nothing to show for their time there.

Anonymous said...

Yep, the mayor is doing A-Ok. Making $100 grand for the first time ever in his life, paying into a state retirement fund that we taxpayers will then pay him, gets himself a new car, and most important his wife works for the City so they have top-notch health benefits. I am sure he is sleeping well at night. Yep, time to tighten that belt for sure in the ward house. GIVE ME A BREAK.

Anonymous said...

So now they are doing less with the same number of people.

Makes no sense to me.

Anonymous said...

"Yep, the mayor is doing A-Ok. Making $100 grand for the first time ever in his life, paying into a state retirement fund that we taxpayers will then pay him, gets himself a new car, and most important his wife works for the City so they have top-notch health benefits. I am sure he is sleeping well at night. Yep, time to tighten that belt for sure in the ward house. GIVE ME A BREAK."

~ Exactly what is your point? The salary and state retirement fund would be the same for ANYONE elected as mayor (and that includes Mr. Ward). Whether or not he bought his family a new car is quite frankly NONE of your business. If his wife works for the City (as does Ms Zoppo's husband), good for her! This also falls under the category of NONE of your business. As to what happens in the "Ward house" ~ please refer to above - (absolutely NONE of your business).

As for your pointless and petty comements, why not stop and GIVE US ALL A BREAK!

Anonymous said...

The mayor could have done a lot better for the citizens if he started working on this when he was first told about the situation when he took office last Novemebr.

If he is just putting off doing things that have to be done, he is just fooling the people.

And, DO NOT count on the state for help: they are hurting too.

Anonymous said...

As a career City of Bristol dedicated union member, I strongly encourage the Mayor to look at a golden handshake or early retirement incentive package. It is so frustrating to have to work so many years for so little. As an incentive, I am recommending increasing my pension with some of the overflowing pension investment fund money (no cost to the taxpayers) and maybe medical benifits for life (also no cost to the taxpayers if the city is allowed to borrow from the pension fund and put it into the GASBE medical benifits investment fund). Let's sit down at the table and talk!

Anonymous said...

3:38 - you are totally high!

Lifetime Health Benefits would definately cost the taxpayers in Bristol severely. That's why the State capped their Lifetime benefits to state employees.

You are an absolute fool to think that the union has any right to demand that the Mayor "take it to the table". You people should have no say in what happens with pension money. A higher percentage of it came from the taxpayers, not from the union.

Go back to leaning on your shovel. If the Mayor negotiates ANYTHING with you people over this pension money, he can GUARANTEE that it will be his only term in office.

THE UNION HAS NO RIGHT ASKING "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME???"

Anonymous said...

WE NEED LAYOFFS AND EARLY RETIREMENTS.

MR MAYOR, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEDICATED TO THE RESIDENTS OF BRISTOL, NOT THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY. WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?????

Anonymous said...

"WE NEED LAYOFFS AND EARLY RETIREMENTS."


WHAT WE REALLY NEED ARE PEOPLE TO TURN OFF THE CAP LOCK KEY ~ IT DOESN'T MAKE YOUR POINTLESS, BASELESS, BONEHEADED COMMENTS TRUE ... JUST BIG ... (LIKE THE HEADS OF THE POLITICAL HACKS WHO KEEP TRYING TO SHOVEL THIS ANTI-UNION/ANTI-WARD RHETORIC DOWN OUR THROATS). GIVE IT A REST ALREADY! :-}

Anonymous said...

Mill rate increase or spending increase?

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should start addressing our concerns to Petosa and the other union reps. They obviously carry significant influence over Ward.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see what was cut.
Since it wasn't staff, it looks like the same people will be doing with and doing less.

The next mayor will have to play catch up again.

Anonymous said...

Hey 8:03 being you are such a "hidden" genious why don't you stop bitching and do something? Your so smart! (mouth that is )

Anonymous said...

Just heard Senator Dodd on TV saying that the economic situation is affecting municipal finances.

Isn't that what former mayor Stortz said in his memo to the BOF and Council last fall?

Anonymous said...

Is the union really going to have the audacity to ask for LIFE TIME HEALTH BENEFITS??????????????????

Anonymous said...

Hard to make cuts when the public doesn't support them.
I remember the problems the last mayor had when he tried to take cars away from employees because they were being used for personal use. H edid succeed, but it was a struggle.

Only when the public actively supports those that take the tough stance will you see the tough decisions being made.

Anonymous said...

Again, cuts or shifted spending?

Pay me now and pay me later!!!

Anonymous said...

Art, MAKE SOME REAL CUTS!

Anonymous said...

No matter what cuts are made ~ someone is going to be unhappy.

Anonymous said...

Except the taxpayer.