Selectmen Discuss Budget Memorandum

With the next fiscal year's budget looming, the Suffield Board of Selectmen spent the majority of its meeting on Wednesday discussing a finance board proposal meant to get school and town officials in sync from the beginning.

A special memorandum is intended to unite the boards of education, finance and selectmen with a written document pledging to keep operational budget increases low during the next three to four years. The limitations will offset the increased taxes that will come if proposed bonding projects, which could cost the town $13.2 million, are approved by residents at a spring referendum.

First Selectman Tom Frenaye said the memorandum’s purpose is to find a consensus between the major players in the budget process.

The Board of Finance first proposed the memorandum at their meeting on Jan. 10th but members said they needed more time to draft the document at their meeting on Monday.

“I was surprised nobody worked on it [between meetings],” said Selectman Eileen Moncrief about the process.

Selectmen also discussed a delay in the bonding process; selecmen have advocated for moving the bonding process along quickly to take advantage of low interest rates and construction costs. A general sense of disappointment that the process wasn’t moving faster was expressed.

“We’re in a holding pattern,” said Selectman Tim Reynolds.

The Board of Finance meets next on Feb. 28. If by that time the budget memorandum has been approved by the three boards and the finance board approves the bonding projects at the meeting, a town meeting will be held in the first half of March for residents to vote on the projects. A referendum will then be held as the final step in the process. Currently, the earliest the referendum could be held is the second week of April.

In addition to issues pertaining to how to present the municipal budget, selectmen also commented on the proposed state budget presented earlier Wednesday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and reviewed possible adjustments to the town budget to compensate for increased snow removal costs.

In contrast to recent meetings which featuring packed rooms and lengthy, in depth discussion, the selectmen’s meeting Wednesday was held in front of a sparse audience and the public agenda was completed in about an hour.