FROM THE NEWSROOM: In Brooklyn, budget numbers for the next fiscal year were reviewed by the Board of Finance this week, and after tweaking a few numbers from different departments, the final proposal will be presented next Wednesday. Chairman of the Board of Finance Gene Michael Deary put the preliminary total near $22.6 million, a 2.7 percent increase over the current budget. That number is expected to be a bit higher once the individual budgets are finalized. The Recreation Commission, Board of Selectmen, and the Capital budgets have been approved with certain modifications. The Selectmen and Capital budgets are waiting on final numbers for certain line items, while recreation will alter its current proposal. According to Recreation Director Bucky Lohbusch, the Board of Finance has asked that he change a request for a full-time program coordinator to a part-time position. This position would focus on a proposed Teen Center included in the budget. Other notable increases were due to salary changes. The Board of Education is still in negotiation on a contract with non-certified employees. These negotiations have been moving very slowly and the school board is not expected to have an agreement before the final vote by the taxpayers. Deary stated that town officials will handle this by entering “place holder” numbers into the budget, as has been done in the past. When negotiations are finalized, the Board of Finance can then enter the exact numbers and make proper adjustments. Tune in for the full report.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 11:30:51 +0000