By James Lomuscio
Following school board Vice Chairwoman Jeannie Smith’s spirited budget presentation about educational excellence and fiscal responsibility, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) tonight unanimously approved the Board of Education’s $113,128,166 operating budget for 2016-17.
The budget represents a 1.29 percent increase over the current year, the lowest increase since the first year of the recession, said Smith.
During her presentation, Smith also praised Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon, who is retiring in June after 17 years. This was his last budget.
“Elliott has done such an outstanding job over the past 17 years,” said Smith. “He has been the leader of leaders.”
RTM members Lou Mall and Seth Braunstein offered their thanks to Landon, too.
Braunstein also asked what would be the outcome if Westport were to lose $2 million in state education grants.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy aims to cut educational cost sharing grants to 28 wealthy communities in order to tackle a more than $900 budget deficit.
Landon responded, saying that he had heard from state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg today that the cut would amount to about $1.1 million, “and we are trying to accumulate as large a surplus as possible.”
“Through an intelligent reworking, we can offset all of that,” Landon said.
Following that school vote, the RTM unanimously the total town operating budget request for 2016-17, $204, 559,874.
The total includes the $91.4 million municipal budget approved Monday night, plus $4,779,000 for the Sewer Fund, $193,283 for the Wakeman Town Farm and $1,502,186 for Railroad Parking.
Brian Stern, finance board chairman, said at Monday’s meeting that following the legislative body’s approvals, the Board of Finance on Wednesday, May 18, will set the town’s mill rate.
