Some Cuts Go Deeper Than Others In East Lyme's Proposed Budget

Tonight, East Lyme residents will have a chance to add their two-cents to discussions about the town's proposed $63.2 million budget for the coming fiscal year at a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. at East Lyme High School.

The Board of Finance has already trimmed about $1 million from the original proposed budget of $64.1 million, cutting $650,000 from the Board of Education's budget, $182,384 from the town's proposed capital expenditures and $146,223 from the town's proposed budget for the general fund.

So how did the Board of Finance come up with those cuts? Board Chairman Raymond Hart said members began by looked at surpluses in the current budget. 

"We looked at the general government side first, looking at current expenditures for the year, and we realized there’s money in those current expenditures that they haven’t used yet and we came up with roughly 295,000 in reductions in General Government," said Board of Finance Chairman Raymond Hart. "Almost every department had some reductions. A lot of the departments had large increases they wanted for overtime and we had to pull the reins back a little on that."

A number of different town departments went under the knife. Here's a look at a few of the more significant cuts, some of which may be challenged tonight. 

The School District Budget

The $650,000 cut from the school budget was the biggest slice that the Board of Finance took from the pie. However, School Superintendent James Lombardo said he believes he can live within the new figure and still offer  full-day kindergarten next year as planned. 

At the Board of Education's meeting earlier this week, Lombardo said he expects that switching to a new health carrier will cut health care costs significantly. As the state has also given school districts another year before they have to fully implement the new teacher evaluation system, Lombardo was also able to cut the $113,000 he had included in this year's budget for that program. 

The rest of the cuts will likely come from staffing reductions, such as cutting back on the number of paraprofessionals, trimming from custodial salaries, foregoing hiring a new math coach, and eliminating coach advisors for clubs that are poorly attended. Lombardo said he's optimistic that there will be a surplus from this year's budget that could also soften the blow.   

Proposed Town Staff Reductions

The Board of Finance voted to cut $25,000 from the town's budget for attorney fees and, in a move that surprised many in Town Hall, it also proposed to cut $16,000 from the salary allocated for the Town's Zoning Official, paring down the job from five days to a four-day week. 

At the last Zoning Commission meeting, members decided to send a letter to the Board of Finance requesting that the position remain full-time. Commission member Matthew Walker, who noted that the position has been a full-time job for more than 20 years, said he found the timing of the proposed cutback "peculiar." 

Zoning Official William Mulholland's constant refrain these days is that his phone is "ringing off the hook." In addition to a surge of interest from businesses looking to move into town, there are plans in the works for at least three mixed use residential and retail developments.

Most notably, the long-stalled Gateway project—which involves hundreds of housing units and commercial and retail space that will likely be anchored by a big box store such as Cosco—is kicking back into gear.  

Zoning commissioners credited Mulholland, who has been in the position for about 27 years, for the quality of the applications that come before them and said his expertise is "invaluable." Walker said that cutting the position back to four days, particularly now, was not "in the town's best interest." 

Parks and Recreation

This year, East Lyme Parks and Recreation had asked for a significant increase in its budget in anticipation of having to staff and maintain the new beach at Cini Park. The Board of Finance moved to reduce the $64,218 increase requested by $15,000. 

That may well impact Parks and Recreation's ability to hire the number of seasonal workers and lifeguards it believes will be required to fully staff the beaches. Hart said, however, that he's not convinced that the new beach will be as widely used this summer as some are predicting because access to it is still limited.

The parking lot for it is still under construction, Hart noted, the new bathrooms won't be built in time for this season and the town's section of the boardwalk that links Hole in the Wall beach to the Amtrak boardwalk, won't be rebuilt until after the summer.   

East Lyme Police And Fire Departments

The Board of Finance set out on a mission to cut down on overtime for town employees. The board cut $5,000 from the Police Department for part time constables and $5,000 for overtime. Hart said East Lyme Police Department didn't use any part-time constables last year. 

The Board also voted to cut $7,500 earmarked for police boat patrols, which Resident State Trooper Wilfred Blanchette had budgeted at time-and-a-half because only a limited number of police officers are qualified for boat patrols.

First Selectman Paul Formica pointed out that might have a negative impact on the department's ability to police all areas this summer, especially with the new beach at Cini Park slated to open.

East Lyme Police Department shares the use of a new police boat purchased last summer with Waterford Police Department. Each town takes turns staffing the boat. Cutting this particular line item in the East Lyme Police Department's budget could impair the town's ability to live up to that shared obligation. 

The Board of Finance also voted to cut $5,000 for part time firefighters from both Niantic Fire Department and Flanders Fire Department. The board also cut overtime from Flanders by $10,000 and Niantic Fire Department was also told it would have to wait another year to buy new fire hose for $8,400. 

"We're still in tough times," Hart said.