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| Bristol Taxpayers Association President Bob Fiorito joked with Paul Keegan, a city union leader, following Monday's Joint Board meeting. |
In a rare twist, city councilors Monday pushed for spending cuts in a proposed
$177 million municipal budget that Board of Finance members refused to support.
The
spending plan for the coming fiscal year won approval on a 9-5 vote that saw
four Republican councilors and one finance commissioner argue unsuccessfully
for lowering the 6 percent property tax called for in the budget.
The
majority gunned down proposals to slice spending on parks, the library, a
contingency account, money set aside for salary hikes and other measures that
might have reduced the tax burden a bit.
The
fiscal oversight panel, created during the Great Depression to stifle
spendthrift politicians, said that last-minute cuts would hurt services, weaken
the city’s finances and undermine its work during the past few months.
Finance
Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said the tax hike will hit the average homeowner
for about $240 extra in the fiscal year beginning July 1, an amount he called “minimal.” Click here for the rest of the story.
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