12/31/2018 - First Selectman Vicki Tesoro Announces Town Council Resolution to Amend Town's Budget Dates
First Selectman Vicki Tesoro Announces Town Council Resolution to Amend Town's Budget Dates
12/31/18 -- First Selectman Vicki Tesoro announced today that she has presented a resolution to the Trumbull Town Council that will give the Town of Trumbull more flexibility in the budget adoption timeline. This resolution is included on the January 7, 2019 Town Council Meeting agenda.
If approved, the resolution extends the date for the First Selectman’s budget submission to the Board of Finance from February 10 to March 1. This resolution will also amend the budget dates for the Board of Finance and the Town Council but will not affect the timely issuance of municipal tax bills.
These proposed changes were made possible by the state legislature, which passed a law earlier this year enabling municipalities to amend the budget dates in their Charters by a vote of the legislative body of the municipality. Without this law, which passed with broad bipartisan support, municipalities would have to undertake a time-consuming charter revision process to change the budget dates. In passing this law, the state recognized that communities needed the flexibility to adjust their budget dates to better coincide with the state process. Municipalities need more accurate municipal aid numbers throughout the budget process, beginning with the First Selectman’s proposed budget.
These changes will not solve all the issues with the state budgeting process, but these modifications will provide Trumbull with more flexibility in our own budget timeline.
Finance Director Maria Pires said, “This common sense resolution will take the guesswork out of the First Selectman’s budget while still giving the Board of Finance and the Town Council ample time to review and modify the First Selectman’s budget.”
First Selectman Vicki Tesoro said, “More accurate state information will give both the First Selectman’s office and the Finance Director’s office the critical information needed to present an accurate, complete budget to our citizens and elected officials. This is responsible budgeting, rather than relying on conjecture. Our citizens deserve nothing less.”
This resolution will be discussed at the Town Council Legislation & Administration Subcommittee Meeting on January 3, 2019, at 7:15 PM at Town Hall. The full Town Council will also discuss and vote on this resolution at the Town Council Meeting on January 7, 2019 at 8 PM at Town Hall.