New Milford Mayor David Gronbach has presented his municipal budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.  The $102.5 million  plan is an increase of $2.67 million over last year's budget. 

Like other municipalities in the state, New Milford will have to pick up the slack from potential state aid cuts, including in the Education Cost Sharing formula.  Gronbach says the lost of some ECS funding and the new teacher pension contributions will mean a total loss of $6 million in revenue.  He says this is part of the reason why he's been pushing the Board of Education for the sale of the East Street building.

Gronbach has worked in some savings, including by not hiring an Executive Secretary, not seeking mileage reimbursement and identifying general insurance savings of more than $109,000.  He says locked in utility costs and consolidating past debt could also result in a savings. 

Contractual obligations remain a large piece of the budget.  Gronbach says the increase in salaries remains a reasonable rate.  But he notes that health insurance for town employees continues to put pressure on the budget.  The increase is pegged at about $929,000.  He was criticized in the past for removing Children's Center employees from town insurance, but says restricting insurance to town employees will ease some budgetary pressures.

Gronbach says he looks forward to discussing budget revisions with town officials to present to the town for a vote.