Elsesser recommends $42.7M combined budget for Coventry
Mar. 4—COVENTRY — Town Manager John Elsesser is recommending a combined town and school budget of $42.7 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which equates to a spending increase of 2.7% and includes a three-year COVID-19 recovery plan.
The recommended budget would increase taxes for the average ratepayer by about $8.80 a month, or about $106 annually, Elsesser said.
SPENDING
WHAT: The Town Manager is proposing a $42.7 million budget for town and school spending, an increase of 2.74%.
TAXES: An increase of about $8.80 a month, or about $106 annually, from the average ratepayer.
The proposed tax rate required to fund the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is 31.79, a 0.62 mil or 1.99% increase, according to budget documents, which also note a 1.6% increase in the 2020 grand list, or $16.3 million in revenue growth over 2019.
A mill is equal to $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in assessed property value.
"COVID came and hit us like a brick through the windshield and we had to react," Elsesser told the Journal Inquirer on Wednesday.
In a letter to the Town Council and Coventry citizens, Elsesser wrote that appropriate emergency actions were taken last year and a COVID action plan was adopted to hold taxes level. Spending reductions, a hiring freeze, reducing some revenue, and using some savings were all required, he wrote.
"We now need to start a multiyear recovery phase in," he continued. "We also experienced wide variance in service usage, increasing costs, and revenue losses as programs were cancelled. This put significant stresses on not only the operating budget, but several special funds too."
The Fire/EMS fund, for instance, racked up a debt of nearly $225,000 after a service was hired to operate the ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week because of COVID-19. The recreation fund also lost $282,000 in revenue from the cancellation of programs.
The town also will need to cover more than $135,980 in outstanding sewer debt, which increased as residents were home during quarantine.
The budget also recommends restoring some vacant positions that were cut last year, such as a police officer and some part-time staff, Elsesser said.
Elsesser pointed out that it's still unknown what state or federal aid may become available to help offset some of the COVID-19 related expenses.
"But the virus worked its way deep into our operations and we need to treat it with cost savings, phasing in recovery plans and additional revenues," he said.
Elsesser also proposes to use $200,000 of the fund balance to fill the budget hole and start phasing out the $310,000 used in the last fiscal year budget to keep taxes flat. Officials worked to keep spending down last year because many were without jobs and residents could not vote on the budget because of stay-at-home orders, Elsesser said.
According to budget documents, the Board of Education accounts for 49.5% of the overall budget, while general government spending accounts for 41.5%, and the capital budget accounts 9%.
In February, the Board of Education unanimously adopted a $28.4 million school budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which equates to a 2% increase over last year's spending.
A virtual budget hearing is set for Thursday, March 11. Elsesser will present the municipal budget in detail, along with the Board of Education, which can speak about the school budget.
A copy of the spending plan is available in the Town Clerk's Office or in the Town Hall rear foyer. The Board of Education budget is available at its office. Both budgets also are available online at
For updates on the towns of Coventry and Tolland, follow Michelle France on Twitter: @MFranceReport, Facebook: Michelle France, and Instagram: @MFranceReport.
