By: Charles Stannard

REGION 4— Region 4 school boards and teachers have approved a new three-year contract that includes a one percent pay raise for 2010-2011 and a salary reopener for the second and third years of the agreement.

The contract covers about 225 certified teachers at five schools in the district towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex. Negotiators for the teachers and the school boards reached the agreement last month. Jim Francis, chairman of the Essex Board of Finance, also attended the negotiating sessions.

Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the quick agreement, without the need for state-assisted mediation, showed “a real willingness to work together as a team,” from both sides. “Both sides were extremely collaborative and both sides really understood the economic conditions,” she said.

While most contract language will be in place through 2013, negotiations on salaries and benefits will resume next summer. The agreement for 2010-2011 also raises the teacher’s share of the costs of health insurance premiums from the current 16.5 perent to 17.25 percent effective July 1.

Levy said some teachers will also receive salary scale step increases based on years of service and compensation for additional college degrees. When the general one percent increase and step increases are combined, total salary expenses will increase by 2.76 percent for Deep River, 2.54 percent for Chester, 3.04 percent for Essex, and 2.41 percent for teachers at Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School. Total salary expenses for supervision district employees that provide shared services at all five schools will rise by 2.37 percent.

The district’s school administrators are in the final year of a three-year contract. Negotiations with the administrator’s association on all portions of a contract, including salaries and benefits, will also begin next summer.

By: Charles Stannard

ESSEX— The board of finance has set the tax rate at 16.95 mills for 2009-2010, a drop from the current rate of 17.6 mills.

While the tax rate, which represents $16.95 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value, is down, most local property owners are expected to see an increase in their tax bills as a result of the town wide property revaluation update that was completed last year.

Assessor Jessica Graves said assessments are up for about 80 percent of the town’s property owners. She said assessments for most residential property are up by 10 to 25 percent. “It was a big range depending on what style house you have and where you live in town,” Graves said.
Voters approved a $20.2 million town budget for 2009-2010 on a 392-186 vote in an eight-hour referendum held on May 19. It was the first referendum vote on an Essex town budget in nearly a decade.

The budget includes $6.27 million for town government, $7.85 million for Essex Elementary School, and the town’s $6.88 million share of the Region 4 education budget. The voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex approved the Region 4 budget in a May 5 referendum.

The finance board set the tax rate at a May 28 meeting. Town Treasurer Robert Dixon said there were no transfers of surplus funds to help fund the 2009-2010 spending plan. Dixon said the town’s undesignated fund balance would stand at about $2.3 million when the current fiscal year ends of June 30.

By: Charles Stannard

CHESTER— Voters approved a $12.4 million town budget plan for 2009-2010 at the annual budget meeting held on May 27. The budget was approved on a show-of-hands, with only a handfull of opposing votes.
The budget includes $1.56 million for town government, $4.11 million for Chester Elementary School, and the town’s $4.44 million share of the Region 4 education budget. The $16.7 million Region 4 budget was approved by the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in a May 5 referendum.

While the town government appropriation decreased from current spending , the share of the Region 4 education budget increased by about $358,000 due to additional students from Chester attending Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School. The appropriation for Chester Elementary School increased by $24,731.

The Board of Finance has set a tax rate of 21.11 mills for 2009-2010, a drop from the current rate of 23.87 mills. The new rate represents $21.11 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value. The finance board authorized a transfer of $396,889 in surplus funds from the town’s undesignated fund balance to establish the rate at 21.11 mills.

While the tax rate dropped, many property owners are expected to see a rise in their tax bills as a result of the townwide property revaluation update that was completed last year. The lower tax rate will be applied to a higher total property assessment for more than 60 percent of the town’s taxpayers.

By: Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— Voters approved a $14 million town budget plan for 2009-2010 Thursday in a referendum marked by extremely low turnout.

The spending plan, which does not require an increase in the tax rate, was approved on a 247-59 vote. A total of 306 voters cast ballots in the 14-hour referendum.

The budget plan includes $3.61 million for town government, $4.83 million for Deep River Elementary School, $882,957 in town and school debt service, $218,600 for capital improvements, and the town’s $4.46 million share of the Region 4 education budget.The Region 4 budget was approved by the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex in a May 5 referendum.

First Selectman Richard Smith said a decrease in the town’s share of the Region 4 budget and a wage freeze for all town employees allowed the board of finance to hold the tax rate at 21.73 mills. The rate represents $21.73 in tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value. No surplus funds were used to maintain the current tax rate, leaving the town’s undesignated fund balance at about $750,000.

The town’s share of the Region 4 budget decreased by $319,734 because of a drop in the number of students from Deep River attending Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School. Smith said the Region 4 Board of Education also had presented a very tight spending plan that he described as “one of the best Region 4 budget’s I’ve ever seen.”

Smith said the Deep River Municipal Employees Association had accepted a wage and salary freeze for 2009-2010 in recognition of the decline in tax revenue resulting from the economic recession. The association’s current contract expires June 30. There were no pay increases for elected officials.

“It was a good budget,” Smith said. “Everybody cooperated to help us avoid a tax increase and we’re still providing all of the services.”