"5 Things You Need to Know About..." The Town's Budget and Other Things For Tuesday

1. The local budget season will officially kick off Tuesday when General Manager Scott Shanley unveils his proposed Manchester budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year in a meeting at 8 a.m. in the Manchester Room of Town Hall. 

Some things to look out for in Shanley's proposal: how much of an increase is the coming year's budget over the town's current budget of roughly $160 million? How much will taxes have to rise to cover the increase? And what valued programs or services does the new budget scale back or excise? 

The Board of Directors will review Shanley's proposal in a series of meetings and workshops for the better part of the next six weeks or so, before finally voting on a budget in mid-April. 

2. Despite a 30-point performance by Christian Walker (which included nine 3-pointers), the Manchester High School boys basketball team was  in the first round of the CIAC Class LL tournament Monday by Xavier High School of Middletown. The final score was 72-63. 

3. What, if anything , should the town do with the , a nine-acre patch of grass in the middle of the historic Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District that the town acquired for $525,000 in 2002 for preservation purposes. Some would like to see the area better utilized, possibly with walking paths and benches; while others would like to see the land remain just as it is, to preserve one of the town's most historic vistas. Care to weigh in on the issue in the comments section? 

4. A meeting of the Manchester Relay for Life team will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the John A. DeQuattro Community Cancer Center of  at 73 Haynes St. In addition to helping raise funds for cancer research, the event brings together families and friends of cancer patients to celebrate those who have survived cancer and to remember those who have passed away.

5. And will host its Tuesday Evening Wine Series pairing five wines with five small plates for $25. Tuesday's spotlight is on "Down Under" wines of southern Australia.