Groton City budget to be voted on Monday, followed by hearing on Mother Bailey House
Jun. 5—GROTON — The city's proposed budget of $19,992,489 will go before voters on Monday. A public hearing on proposals for the sale of two city properties, including the Mother Bailey House, will be held following the annual budget meeting.
The budget meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of the City Municipal Building, 295 Meridian St.
The proposed budget for next fiscal year would keep the tax rate flat at 4.3 mills.
The fiscal year 2022 budget is $2,078,043 more than the current year's budget. City Mayor Keith Hedrick said in an earlier phone interview that increases include contractual services for inspections for major construction projects, mainly at Electric Boat. The spending plan also incorporates contractual raises, and increases in insurance and workman's compensation, among other nondepartmental expenses, and capital projects.
But he said permit fees the city is receiving from construction allow the city to keep taxes stable. The city will be tapping into the fund balance for $2.6 million but still will have a sufficient reserve, he said.
After the budget vote, the city will then hold a public hearing for the sale of 108 Thames St. and 0 Broad St. and a vacant lot at 80 Nathan Hale Road and 0 Paul Revere Road. The city is required to hold a public hearing for the sale of property worth more than $10,000, Hedrick said by phone Friday.
The parcel at 80 Nathan Hale Road and 0 Paul Revere Road is excess property in the middle of Groton Estates, he said. Groton Estates wants to develop a community and recreation center on the parcel, and in the process, the city will get right of way access over the Groton Estates property to extend the Birch Plain Creek Trail to Poquonnock Road, he said. Groton Estates will need to get approval for the plan through the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.
The city will announce at the hearing a proposal for 108 Thames St. — the Mother Bailey House — and an adjacent property at 0 Broad St., Hedrick said.
As part of the proposal, a local developer is looking to renovate the Mother Bailey House as a single-family home in accordance with historical standards, Hedrick said. The structure will be kept intact.
Purchase and sales agreements for both properties are on the agenda for the mayor and City Council meeting following the hearing.
