Milford Mayor Blake Proposes Budget Increase

MILFORD, CT — Mayor Ben Blake proposed a general fund budget of $147.3 million, which is an $11 million increase from the current year's $136.4 million budget.

“We all remember that last year’s state-mandated revaluation substantially shifted property assessments, causing unease throughout town,” Blake wrote in his budget proposal. “While Milford had enjoyed an extended period of year over year tax cuts for every resident and business, market forces during the revaluation resulted in benefits for certain properties, with others experiencing burden.”

The proposed budget hike is being driven by increases in salaries and healthcare costs.

The Board of Education proposed a $106.4 million budget, which is a 4.39 percent increase from the current year. Costs are being driven by increases in salaries, benefits, transportation, special education and unfunded state mandates.

“We must carefully examine our school spending to better understand why, after a decade of modest, sustainable growth, the Board of Education is now recommending a budget that increases spending by 100 percent more than any increase previously proposed,” Blake wrote.

The budget process is now before the Board of Finance, which will review budgets by departments, as well as the Board of Education. After that, The Board of Finance will vote on a recommended budget to forward to the Board of Aldermen.

The city’s healthcare plan is self-insured, and insurance consultants predict that costs will rise another $3 million in the coming budget year.

“We're hoping for better news within the next couple of months as we get our quarterly update from the insurance consultants,” Blake said during a recent Board of Finance meeting. “But at this point, we are bracing again for this bad news or this bad uptick.”

Health costs increased significantly last year as elective surgeries that were postponed during the pandemic were performed, Blake said.