Aiming to knock the proposed tax hike down to 3 percent, Board of Finance member Janet Moylan is eyeing across-the-board cuts to chop away enough spending.
To get there, she would need to find $2.8 million to slice away from the proposed budget that would hike taxes by 6.4 percent in the coming year.
Cutting education, she said, would have to be part of it.
To absorb its fair share of the reduction, the allocation for education would be reduced by $750,000 -- putting the overall school budget about $250,000 below this year's level.
"They can't get away scot free," Moylan said.
She said she's not sure that she will ultimately push for so much cutting. She said she wants to know the impact on every department first.
But, Moylan said, people are struggling and it's too much to ask them to pay more than 6 percent more in property taxes.
She said she is just not sure the city as a whole can afford to shell out so much more.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
9 comments:
At least Moylan has some idea as to how the BOE functions.
NO ONE on the BOF has any such experience with the city.
Sort of ham strings them, doesn't it?
April 14, 2010 12:40 PM
Art likes it that way.
Actually the vice chair of the Finance Panel, John Smith is a former BOE member as well...
Time to stop the board of ed. Must start the lay offs now.
From the March 3, 2010 BOE Minutes "The BOE budget represents a 1.74% increase, which translates into a request from the City in the amount of $1,777,792 over our current appropriation." They also managed to save $2.2 million by closing Bingham, offering retirement incentives and by controlling special education costs.
The BOE's done its part to reduce costs; it's time to ask our political leaders what they're doing to grow the top line (and I don't mean just raising taxes).
7:09 so you are saying that the BOE budget is aprox 4 mil over last years budget??????
WE NEED LAYOFFS AND BIG CUTS.
Save money and the tax payers. Make cuts and start the layoffs. Tell the union the party is over.
I am not sure where you guys are getting your facts but there are some real "haters" out there that think the "unions" should be told the party is over...if by "unions" you mean teachers they HAVE sacrificed and worked with a level salary with no raise for 2 1/2 years to cut costs! We took the cut even though we too have bills to pay and can barely afford to live on our paychecks. There is no "party" more like a night out with "the dollar menu" again. FANCY!
Post a Comment