Board of Directors Approves 4.5 Percent Tax Increase in New Budget

The Manchester Board of Directors approved a $170,581,048 budget Tuesday, restoring $1 million to the town's education budget and also restoring a cut that would have resulted in the closure of the IOH pool at Manchester High School. 

The vote was 6-2, with all Democrats voting in favor of the budget, and Republicans Cheri Pelletier and Mark Tweedie voting against (Susan Holmes, a Republican, was absent). 

"We increased the BOE by $1 million dollars to ensure the funding for our full curriculum of school programs such as gifted and talented programs, the music program that Manchester is known for, also to continue to have Mary Carderelli as the athletic trainer at MHS," said Mayor Leo V. Diana in his remarks before approval of the budget. 
The directors budget represents a 4.1 percent increase in funding to the school budget, short of the 5.5 percent increase that the Board of Education asked for.

Directors believed that the $1 million in addition funding would be enough to stave off a series of painful budget reductions proposed by Superintendent Richard Kisiel, but the school board has the ultimate say as to how education funds are allocated in town. It remains to be seen how the Board of Education will apply the funding. 

The town will also assume 100 percent of the cost to fund the TLC group housing in Manchester - which was another potential cut outlined by Kisiel - and has assumed capital responsibilities for oil tank removals at Martin Elementary and Manchester High School as well as new lighting for the parking lot and entrance of the high school. 

The mill rate in town for the 2013-14 fiscal year will be 33.03, which would equal out to an increase of $172 in taxes for a home valued at $169,000 outside of the Manchester Fire District, and $190 inside the district. A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. 

The total tax increase for a property owner in Manchester under the new budget is 4.5 percent. The budget also uses $900,000 from the town's $10.6 million reserve fund, with the rest allocated to maintain Manchester's bond rating. 

"Determining what services to keep and how to pay for them is a question that has plagued societies over the centuries. What is a fair tax? I've heard everything from 0 percent to 7.3 percent. This board must be the stewart's of the money we have and fiduciaries of the money we collect," Diana said. "…But where you draw the line depends on your comfort level."