Proposed Budget Boosts Taxes 1%, Trims Auto Tax, Floats Road Bond

As expected, Barrington’s number crunchers are proposing a budget for next year that boosts taxes by around 1 percent. 

The spending plan does propose giving owners of older cars a slight tax break, which will be offset by a slight increase in property taxes across the board.

The proposed 2013-2014 budget also proposes floating up to a $4 million bond to fix roads, which boosts taxes because of more than $300,000 in debt service added into the municipal budget. 

The Committee on Appropriations presented its budget proposal Wednesday evening at the annual hearing in the middle school on Barrington’s spending for schools, municipal services and capital expenses in fiscal year 2014. 

That $63.5 million proposed budget could change at the annual Financial Town Meeting on May 22 with amendments filed within the next week or so. All-day kindergarten seems to be the hot-button item this year with an online petition seeking signatures in favor of expanding Barrington’s half-day program.

“Should you and your taxpaying Town Meeting attendees together vote to approve” the budget as recommended, said Kathy Cadigan, chair of the COA, “your property tax rate will increase by approximately 1 percent over last year.”

That increase would hike the property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value from $18 to $18.20. A median price homeowner would see a $69 boost in their annual real estate tax bill.

The excise tax break on automobiles would be achieved by raising the exemption from $500 to $1,000 per vehicle. The effect of doubling the exemption cuts $21 off the tax per vehicle. 

The proposed school budget of $45.6 million – or $900,000 more than last year – “was a difficult process for COA” primarily because 87 percent of expenses are salaries and benefits, which weren’t known until last week, Cadigan said. That translates into a 2 percent increase in spending for the schools.

The COA believes the $900,000 boost in school spending “is fair and more than adequate to not only maintain the superior quality of a Barrington education, but also to roll out the first year of action steps” in the schools’ strategic plan, she said. These include the Core Curriculum, all-day kindergarten -- already in the budget with a $140,000 placeholder, said School Committee Chairman Robert Shea Jr., and technology purchases.

Cadigan said the overall “tax impact is so small also because of an “unprecedently large increase in school state aid of $989,000.” 

COA actually has tried to get the School Committee to answer a question posed to it about its plan to replace retiring or relocating teachers, she said, especially with enrollment dropping.

“I am still awaiting a response,” she said.

Not replacing a few FTEs (full-time equivalent) would save hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars (approximately $111,000 per retiring teacher), she said.

"No one is recommending cutting teachers," she said. COA is suggesting reducing FTEs by attrition.

Amendments to the proposed budget must be filed with the Town Clerk at least five business days before the Financial Town Meeting to be considered by voters. 

An amendment on all-day kindergarten seems like a possibility, depending on the recommendation of a subcommittee that has been evaluating half-day versus full-day kindergarten. The School Committee is holding a special session tonight at 7:30 on that issue.