Danbury Proposes a $4.1 Million Increase to Budget

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton proposed a budget for 2012-2013 of $220,100,000 Tuesday, an increase of $4.1 million over this year's adopted budget of $215,919,397.

Boughton said the tax increase will be about .76 mills, pushing the city's tax rate to 22.45. His presentation to the Tuesday begin's the city's one month budget review process.

Starting next week, four city council committees will begin reviewing the budget. After completing its review, the council will approve the budget in its May meeting.

Boughton said certain assumptions in the budget are based state aid estimates. If state aid is cut, city government expenses must be cut.

"We will not raise taxes," Boughton said.

Gladys Cooper, chairman of the , attended the City Council meeting with other members of the Board of Education, and left the meeting saying the board was going to discuss the budget.

"It's bad," Cooper said.

Boughton said he had been working with the Board of Education and education administrators over the last three months, and this budget isn't a surprise. He said that while the city is eliminating the funding for 29 positions in city government, he said he didn't think the Board of Education would have to eliminate staff.

Boughton said the city is giving the Board of Education an additional $1.5 million this year, and the state is expected to give an additional $2 million in Educational Cost Sharing grants, which equals $3.5 million in additional funding for Danbury schools.

The final figures will be revealed in May, once the budget is approved.