The Danbury City Council has held a public hearing on the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The various Council committees are still scheduled to meeting to discuss individual portions of the plan, though the education committee has already met to vet the proposal.
About two dozen people participated, and nearly all of them spoke about school funding calling for more money being added to the Mayor's plan. During the hearing, elementary school students, middle schoolers and a sophomore spoke out, asking for more education funding. 8 parents, two recent grads and two teachers and a mental health clinician also asked that the Board of Education's proposal be fully funded.
If the overall $277.5 million budget is approved as is by the City Council, the mill rate would go up 2-.25 percent. With a mill rate of 28.22, the typical homeowner will see a quarterly real estate tax bill that is about $40 higher. Sewer and water rates would also increase by 2.75 percent.
The Superintendent's budget request, approved by the Board of Education, asked for an additional $8.7 million in annual local funding. The budget proposed by the Mayor includes $4 million in additional dollars.
