Mayor proposes 3.66 percent tax hike

STAMFORD -- Mayor Michael Pavia unveiled a $483.3 million budget Thursday calling for a 3.66 percent property tax increase for next fiscal year.

Pavia's proposed budget -- his third since taking office in late 2009 -- represents the largest proposed tax hike of his tenure. It also adds several employee positions to the city payroll and slightly increases funding to outside agencies for the first time since 2010.

"What the public will accept in terms of a tax increase has changed, I believe, from two years ago," Pavia said Thursday at the Government Center.

Education funding totals $237.3 million -- or 49 percent -- of the mayor's proposed operating budget. City expenses make up $201.2 million -- or 42 percent -- while debt service amounts to $44.8 million, or 9 percent.

Stamford's gross tax levy would increase by 4.8 percent and the city's property tax rate would rise from 17.37 to 18 mills under the proposed budget. Interim Director of Administration Pete Privitera said the mill rate is a more accurate reflection of the budget's impact on property taxes because it incorporates the mitigating effects of the city's Grand List, which jumped by $273 million in 2011.

The 1.1 percent Grand List increase allowed Pavia's administration to keep property tax increases under 4 percent, he said.

"That's a significant number if you consider what's happening in this economy," Pavia said.

The mill rate increase could be reduced to 3.51 percent if the Board of Finance accepts the administration's recommendation to cut $600,000 from the Board of Education budget. The money would come from the board's payments to the city for employee medical benefits, which ended up totaling less than anticipated, Privitera said.

The mayor's office does not have the power to cut or modify the Board of Education budget. The Board of Finance and Board of Representatives can cut -- but not add -- funding to the mayor's proposed budget before the mill rate is finalized in May.

Medical and pension costs, the mayor's proposed fire plan and public safety overtime are the top expenses driving the budget increase, Privitera said. In addition, costs for radio maintenance, municipal solid waste disposal and leaf haul-away are expected to increase this year.

The proposed budget calls for 15 new city positions, nine of which are already funded or pending funding approval for this fiscal year. In 2010, the mayor's budget eliminated 119 city positions, which resulted in 49 employee layoffs.

"We eliminated positions over the last several years and in a few cases we may have gone too deep," Privitera said. "So now we're bringing these people back."

The nine existing or pending jobs include one employee for the tax department, four Smith House workers and four health department positions. Six completely new positions are recommended for fiscal year 2012-13, including positions in the city's engineering, human resources and police departments as well as an additional executive secretary for the mayor's office.

Public safety plays a large role in the mayor's proposed operating budget for next fiscal year. The administration wants to fund police overtime upfront, rather than through contingency funds, and set aside $380,000 million per month for the expense.

The mayor has also included $1.7 million in his proposed budget for the first phase of his proposed fire plan, which he hopes to roll out in the fourth quarter of next fiscal year. In preparation for the plan's implementation -- which has yet to be approved by the Board of Representatives -- the city is planning to fund volunteer fire departments through three fiscal quarters with a 10 percent increase to current budget levels. The budget also calls for a hiring freeze on vacant positions within the city's professional fire department, which would see overtime funding remain flat at $85,600 per week.

The proposed budget also calls for a 2 percent funding increase for the Ferguson Library and Stamford Museum & Nature Center, which saw their city support slashed by 17 percent in 2010. In addition, the Mill River Collaborative would see a $25,000 increase and the Mayor's Multicultural Council and St. Luke's Lifeworks would each see $15,000 funding boosts.

Stamford's Fourth of July fireworks display did not make the budget cut this year, despite Pavia's efforts to raise the necessary funds from local businesses.

"The big cost comes in the (city worker) overtime," he said. "And we didn't think we could raise enough from the public sector for that. The decision was reluctantly just made that we were not going to include fireworks in the budget this year."

Stamford property taxes increased 1.99 percent in 2010, Pavia's first year in office, and by 1.75 last fiscal year. The city's finance board has the final say in setting the mill rate.

Kate.King@scni.com; 203-964-2263; http://twitter.com/kcarliniking

Source: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Mayor-proposes-3-66-percent-tax-hike-3393131.php

indiana jones and the last crusade nba lockout dramamine dramamine nba season iron bowl iron bowl