001prep. Okay, we can call the meeting to order um at 601 the special board of ed meeting on June 5th uh in our central conference room and raise to say the pledge of allegiance. Thank you. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Christopher, Valerie, Erica, Kathy, and we have Megan and Sarah virtually. Okay. Good evening, ladies. Hope they can hear us. Hello, I can hear you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for joining. We have a quorum. Okay. Our guests. Yes. Do we have any citizens comment with our guests? Uh, do you want We had the board of selectment met today to do our budget and we came up with um
002some stuff and so if you want to be updated, Adam was actually at our meeting too. Yes. So, um, we know all our budgets failed. So, um we the finance director um and I started yesterday to go through everything and um Adam had asked how much um the board was going to recommend for the school to cut. Um because we don't have I think we're the only town around here that does not have a board of finance and towns with a board of finance um they're the ones that like tell the board the they do the government budget and the board of ed budget and would tell like assistance like instance like this they would tell both boards how much to cut. Um we don't since we don't have a board of finance that falls
003to the um board of selectmen to act like the board of finance. So that's why um we can tell the board what to cut. Um so um I recommended we recommended to Adam to cut 50 50 grand. Um and we tried to cut we cut as much as we could by by the board um cutting the 50 grand. It brings us to the same amount. Um and it brings us both to about an increase of 94 to to $99,000 around there. And um we figured out at the board of selectment with all of our cuts that we made um that if we if we do in the past um what would happen if there was a high a high like a high mill rate affected um the board of selectmen would recommend to appropriate money
004from the general fund to offset the increase to keep the tax flat for the budgets. So, what we did was we um for our budget, we cut um we had proposed staff in the budget for the rec department, for the library, and we cut some salaries, and we cut um the proposed weekend day staff for the fire department. Um, we know that's a need. Um, but we also know that we have to work out a plan for the fire department because it's going to be more than weekend day staff that they're going to need. They're going to need it's getting to the point where there's no volunteers and even night calls like because the day staff's from 6:00 in the morning to 6 or 4 in the day. So, we're going to need extended staff.
005Um, so we're going to recommend that we have a um like a a committee formed between um residents um and fire department to look at our options for the fire department because we need a solution and it's going to be it's going to be costly. whatever our solutions are, whether it's doing a separate fire tax, whether to pay for more fire department staff, whether it's um it comes out of the the government budget, whether we regionalize fire districts um because we do have in the plans for um addition to the firehouse because we don't have bunk rooms at the current firehouse and uh eventually we know we're going to have to move. We're not there's no volunteers coming and it's not fall in town. It's all over. It's all over. Um, so there has to
006be there has to be a study. Residents have to be involved so they can understand that this is something that is going to affect us and they need to be involved in coming up with um research and for the what we could do for solutions. Um so and we didn't want to cut the senior we didn't want to cut the senior van because that is a need and we are going to lose the senior van. are going to take it back if we don't get it going. And we need the money um proposed in the budget to actually get it going. Um and the issue with that is we do have uh money in the budget for senior transportation. We currently have a dileride program that we contract out for and our need for services
007was so high this past budget year that we didn't have enough money to transition to the senior van because it was all being used up for the dialeride. So we didn't we didn't plan the transition very well and we didn't expect the um increase in usage to affect our transition. So the need the need has um grown there. So um we didn't cut that. We cut um what I had mentioned. So and we cut from the um capital projects plan um the 50,000 towards the ambulance and the um money for the fire alarm system. But this doesn't mean if like these are things that we need done over time. So that doesn't mean we can't put money towards them next year or if anything, god forbid, happens and we need the money for it, we
008can we can figure figure it out, right? Um we're also going to be looking for I'm going to reach out to Deus and our state reps and see if there are grants for our fire alarm system and we're going to start working to see um what we have available for that. Um, so we took those costs out and that's some of the money that'll be uh rolled in to offset the increase. So we're anticipating the miller rate to be with everything work we worked out the miller rate will be 20.72. So it's flat. It's a flat budget increas um there because of it being a revalu some people might still have an increase in their taxes because their property their property changed. Um that would have been a revalu regardless of if the budget went
009up went up at all. Um but the difference will be in their car taxes because the car tax is going from 29 to 20 and also the um value the valuations of the cars are going down. So people are going to see depending on your car you could see a huge decrease in your car tax. The car tax going down versus the property tax. Is that a state I think you talked about it at the meeting. That's a state thing. So that's not something that we can we can't control control at all. At all. The state changed the state changed how and it's kind of like crazy that the state can do this because it it it lessens the properties the car tax, but the money still has to come from somewhere. And where they
010think and they didn't sometimes they offer like stipens or like another revenue source to offset that to towns and they didn't do that at all. So, um, people will see if they see an increase in their tax because their property went up, then they'll it'll they'll see they'll definitely see a lessening in their car tax. I just think it's crazy because like with our reevaluations, like you don't really have a a choice, a decision in where your reevaluation goes, but you do have a choice as to what kind of car you choose to purchase. So the idea of, you know, trying to construct this budget and say, you know, well, how do you lower your taxes? Well, you can buy an expensive car and you get to pay not as much in it, but if
011you keep the same house Yeah. that you've had now it's your taxes are going up. My other question to you, I don't know if we're opening it for questions. Yay. Sorry. We're supposed to just listen. Yeah, I will just listen. Yeah. I mean it's it's it's fair enough, but it's Yeah, I think I think at this point is a state mandatory thing. They do it every five years and it it affects it's just crazy how the property values went up this year. So, and that's because they're sell they're selling that much which is crazy too. So, so it's going to be every five years they do it now for the and ours was a year's early because we weren't really supposed to have it until next year. So, ours was a year early because the
012state changed the scheduling and we were thrown into the the group that was doing it last year. So, again, we didn't have the choice. So, that's unfortunate. So, we're doing um the board of selectmen is having another meeting on Monday to do the meeting call. So, in order to do the meeting call, we need your budget numbers um before Monday at 3:00 because that's when we're doing our meeting. Um it's we have to have a budget a mill rate set before July 1. Um so, we're gonna and we're if the board of ed budgets not put together before Monday when we're doing we would like to have it for the meeting call so we can do the meeting call um because we need the actual numbers on it um we're going to anticipate the mill
013rate to be 20.72 um and we're having a town meeting because of the way we have to do the announcing and then certain number of days before the town meeting and because there's also a holiday thrown And then also in that time frame, um we're going to do the the meeting on June 18th um at 7 p.m. and it'll be a town meeting just like a regular budget town meeting. And we are going to vote at the town meeting because we don't have time to put through for another referendum because there has to be time from the town meeting to the referendum. And then if it doesn't pass again at a referendum, we'd have to start the process all over again. And there's too much of a gap there. So if we do at the
014town meeting and it doesn't pass, something doesn't pass at the town meeting, we have more time to go back and and then do the whole process over again. And if we don't have budgets passed by the end of July, the end of June, we're going to go through because we have to we have to put the um put the um bills out it will have the the 20.72 as the mill rate and then if it changes um it it comes as I know we had to ask the the um lawyer about it. If it ends up being like an over mill rate then it still stays that and we have to figure out with the difference to put it towards the taxes the next year or something. So am I am I clear? If they
015don't vote yes at the town meeting, no time for a referendum and a higher rate will be set by the state. Correct. The 20. No, they can have another meeting or one more meeting in there. Okay. And then the rate gets set regardless of what? So yeah, there's two opportunities to tell me hopefully. for the for the board of selectment budget. We cut what we could without drastically affect like right drastically taking anything away and we don't want to take away the senior van because that's not what we want to do for people that actually need it. I think that's a great idea taking some money from the general fund to offset for us and and I do I know we've talked about looking into grants for the the fire panel. So, I think that's
016a I think that's hopefully a good opportunity for us because it's it's also security related and and there's a lot out there for that. So, yeah. We'll actively um try and get something in place for that. So, do you still have an undesated fund for that? And so, but that can't be used to offset any of the taxes. No, it is. That's what we're talking about. That's You're taking all of that money. Oh, not all. Oh gosh. Not all. No, that's a lot of money. I don't know. Um, but that's not something that we could use to offset like our board budget with like the price of the buses. Something um I don't think there's enough in there to cover the buses, but I thought we were doing a loan for that. It is a
017lease. I'm just thinking I mean I if we're looking to cut one thing, we have the money there. Yeah, it's a down payment, but we pay our buses off early in the past. No, I know. I know. We only bought four this time though, right? Right. Right. Yeah. We did a smaller one. Yeah. But if the board of ed needs money for buses or anything, that's something um I know you're just getting four now, but in the future we can it's something that can be added into the capital projects, too, so that you don't have to have them all come out of your budget. like we can put them as capital projects and put money towards it every year so that there is at least some money to go time. Yeah. Yeah. That was the
018plan of of kind of making Yeah. making some some iterations of the the purchasing of them, not doing the full fleet all at once. So, just just managing our budget more flatly for that. So, okay. if you have any other questions about the process or anything. It's good to have the dates and kind of what what it's going to look like and hopefully um Yes. Hopefully we can get you your information by um by Monday for sure. 18th Wednesday. But yeah, I think hopefully we'll be able to make our decisions tonight and move from there. We wanted to do it on Tuesday, but we have we have a we have to every time we have to do a town meeting or anything that needs to be public notice, we have to do like we call
019it meeting math because you have to there's like certain number of days like you have to do the meeting call and then it has to go in the newspaper because by state statute we have to we have to pay to put it in the newspaper which for us is a Norwich bulletin even though no one gets a Norwich bulletin anymore. Um so we have to Yeah, we have to pay to put it in the Norwich Bulletin and the Norwich Bulletin outsources their legals now. So the company that does their legals is in like another state and their their timing of like say we we need to get it in the paper before Friday in order to have it on Tuesday because we originally wanted to do Tuesday. So it has to be in the paper
020on Friday for the days of notice. And uh the past we've had to like reschedule meetings in the past because we call to like have it and they're like, "Oh, well, we're not we can't put it in till like t like Wednesday." So, because they don't have a set like it goes in right away or it goes in the next one or whatever, which has been so frustrating because we've had to like cancel and reschedu because we couldn't get a notice in on time. So, so I know it's like Yeah, it has to be in the trying like the the u the legislature like People have been trying to get a bill to pass to like change it to a website or like something like that to people so it's noticed and we can't get
021it through because the newspapers say they depend on the money for their for their functioning Spanish and English. Yeah. Has to be in both. Yeah. We did we didn't want it on Tuesday, but just to be safe, we're scheduling it. And then we were like, just to be safe, we'll schedule it on Thursday. And then we were like looking at the calendar and it's like June Junth. It's a holiday. So, it would have cost a chunk of change to have another referendum to have another meeting. It does cost money to cause to have another meeting. It's like it's not I don't think it really Well, we have to pay the registars out. They're they're hourly, but like the selectman and the finance director and the town clerk were salary. So, it doesn't we get work
022crazy hours. It's like I think it's like $700 now to for them to do the ballots like to set them up and then we have to pay for the ballots and then machine. Do you rent that machine? No, we have we just we just got all the machines. The state of Connecticut did. Um but then you would have to pay for one two there's like five people that have to be there. Yeah. All day. So yeah, we think it would come to like between six to 7,000 referendum. I don't even I don't even know. And we also don't have like some towns that have charters or ordinances that say like the the budget has to go to referendum. We don't have that. Like we in the past it's always been at town meetings but since
023I've been here I've anytime we've had a mill rate increase I've gone to referendum because I think that people should have the chance to vote on that and not everyone can make it to a town meeting. And so that's why it was tricky for this budget because we're not having a mill rate increase. The mill rate's going down because of the rebal. Um, but I was like, it's not it's not fair not to go to referendum for that because the budgets were going up and it was going to even because the rebell like messed everything in the calculations. So that's why we went to referendum this time even and even though the bill rate is going down regardless um it was just because it residents needed to have the option to vote on it for
024the because the budgets were going up. You folks really put in some work on this. Thank you. Yeah. So, we don't we um we take the we take the budgeting process very seriously and we know that it um whatever we put in the budget does affect the taxpayers. Like we know that, but we also know that we do what we do for the benefit of the town and that it it it's things are in there for for that reason. So, and we we that's how we do our budget. you know, and it's it's hard to have a a you know, um eyes on all the steps of it. We're at these meetings, you know, from from December, January on working hard to um better understand, you know, where where we both, you know, lie. I
025don't know everything in your budget, but we certainly know what what's in this piece of paper. Very transparent. Like other towns are like not nowhere near as transparent as we are in our budget. And we also um do a lot for for three less than $3 million. Like if you look at other towns the same size, their government budgets are nowhere near as as ours are. Like we ours our town government budget is very low compared to other towns even the same size. So it's um and all our staff is state stat like state statute staff. They the they do the town clerk does the same thing in our town that they do in Grten. Um they have all the same mandates, the same job duties. The only difference is in Grten they might have
026five assistants to to help with them do it. Here um we we we have one assistant that's like part-time and also assists in other offices too. So to save money is how it works. Thank you very much. It's it's helpful to hear kind of where you are at and we'll hopefully um bring back um the number that you requested once we review it. Thank you. Can I ask you guys a question about special needs students? But can I ask or no? I just I have a question in regards to like the funding for them. Say like you guys had said a student moved out of town that was going to cost roughly $250,000 in the budget. If the child's in the school system now, say he's in the school, he or she's in the school
027system and they moved out in February, but we had planned $250,000 for them to be for the year. What do you guys do with the money that wasn't spent because they moved out so early in the year? We hadn't put it in the budget last year. And if I'm saying in general for any special needs, like if you know somebody's going to be here, say that's that child was in our budget and you guys had put put in the budget for this coming year, 250,000, and the child moved out in January or February. So you have you had half the year left. What do you guys do with the money that wasn't spent because he wasn't here the whole entire year? We would fill the oil tank. Yeah. Pay off buses. Any other obligations we
028had or look ahead? Yeah. any absolutely uh please please one student was in the budget for the whole year that student wound up leaving in the middle of the year we received a new student that we hadn't budgeted for. So we had two students and we had one tuition. So the what did we do with the extra money? We used it to pay the tuition of the new student who was here and we had to pay retroactive to November. So what happened was we used the money that we had in the budget for the one student and wound up having two students here for about a half a year. So that's what happened. There was no extra money. Wait, stop. Because that's not what I'm saying. Yeah. I'm asking what you would do in a
029case where if that child left and you didn't have another student come in, what you would do with the extra money that was left for that student instead of putting it towards buses or towards fuel or whatever, can't you guys set up a fund where you take that money and set it aside and say, "Okay, so no spend." We have never in 20 years had I've been on the board 22 years. It has never happened that one leaves and another and somebody else doesn't come in. But if it did, is there a way to set it up? Excuse me. So to answer the question, we have an expenditureon budget. We're not allowed to put money aside. Any money that's not used from the budget is returned to the town. That's right. Well, I didn't know
030if you sent it back to the town if they would put it into account for special needs for the follow. Correct. Yep. It's an expenditure only budget in addition to those two students. Yeah. We're saying just as an example. We're not speaking of any specific examples. It's it's a general question. Suddenly, we got money. Yeah. if we had extra money from a student that left. I've I've never had extra money. I've I've always just returned a little bit to the town because we have wind we have to wind up using. of a school budget is a spending plan. And you know, and and we have students coming in and out. And we might have a student who is in high school in a regular tuition identified needing a $50,000 special ed program in the middle
031of the year. Now this budget proposal you know has the exact amount for the students of tuition as of today but we have students come in and we have students leave. So there's going to be a back and forth. We are so lucky because at one time a few months ago, we had two students that were enrolled in our district and one of them was a court placement and those combined tuitions were $400,000, but the parents moved. So we didn't we didn't have a $200,000 t surplus. We had bills that had to be paid for related to the special lid. And in the actual expenditure report that we do, you know, each year it shows what we had for actual expenditures, but we really do have to use every penny that's in the budget. And
032again, if we if we have money at the end of the year, we top off that fuel tank. And if we have to, we can, you know, make sure that we're we're paying all outstanding balances. So, it's it's a race. We've finished every budget for the last 21 years on time, June 30th, and we've never had to go back to the town for extra money, and that's an accomplishment that is incredible. So, that's where that is. But uh you know um if you look at individual accounts students are constantly in and out. So that's what happened with that. We have bought curriculum as well at the end of the year things that our next bill put it in the surplus and say that's only used for special. We had those yeah we have some those
033those wishes a lot and then it's accentro only. We have to give it back, you know, if you have any surplus or it can't be, you know, repurposed for something specific. Yeah. Our jobs be a lot harder with different funds. We'd have to There's no surplus in this budget proposal. Okay. Well, thank you very much. That's all we're going to discuss from guests. I think we'll um we got our our duties cut out for our one budget or our one light item for um for adjustments to the budget. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I know you guys didn't get sorry the folks in the room didn't get an agenda. So, it it's a one item. So, just so you know, it's to approve adjustments to the budget proposal and adjournment. And our next meeting
034is Thursday, June 12th at 6 p.m. here. That's a regular meeting. Are you ready for me? We are ready. I need to make a public statement, please. Our student enrollment is declining and over the years we have cut back on teachers. Now, for this year, the next year we had we had five retirements. We are replacing two positions. One of them is ma mine and the other is making sure that there is somebody in a library and we've transferred a person. So we hired a person to replace that. This means that we're down three teaching positions. Okay. We needed a behavior specialist because we had a specialed child and if we hired a consultant with some of that money, then we would not have to outplace a student. We hired and it's in the budget
035for next year. Well, we want to hire a certified nurse assistant because if we don't have that person here in this building, then we're going to have to put that ch child in a special ed out placement. So, these are the things that are happening. And then the other thing is we didn't replace a position because we hired learn technology services. So there's three teaching positions that we eliminated, but we bought other services in that might have been a little less expensive. So the declining enrollment is has been met over the years by a reduction in force. Now I had to make sure the public knew that because I read someplace the population is down and the teachers are increasing. No, the certified teaching staff has been reduced and we also look at reductions in
036in other parts of the budget for staffing. Um, you know, this is uh this is this is my it's not just the certified teachers. We've also decreased the number of paraprofessionals. Yes. Yes. And if we if we need to cut a paraprofessional or reorganize, we do that. Now I identified I identified $49,999 and in reduction. Sorry I didn't make 50. But the thing is how did we do that? Well the you know the first thing the first thing that we did was uh look at the uh construction services. We put in 32,000 and the bids for the asbestous replacement and the HVAC systems. We got a good price. Plus, the town was able to chip in a little bit more money. So, we saved $17,000 right there. So, that was that was a chunk of
037change that worked. Now, we also had a reduction of 20,900 in the maintenance account due to recent maintenance work. And as I get down to the end of the year, we look and we see what we can pay for, but we have uh almost $90,000 in the budget for the, you know, for the maintenance. other savings. The third highest savings was $4,417 for the new superintendent. Uh I've been here 19 and a half years. The new superintendent came in as some cost savings and then there's about $6,000 left. But I will tell you, I didn't want to rip apart, you know, a budget proposal. So, I just made strategic cuts throughout the budget to make sure that we could uh, you know, get to the 49,000. If you want to know, you know, there was
038like $1,000 for technology equipment. There was $300 for principal supplies. There was $460 for the principal's dues. There was a a a small reduction in fuel oil, $1,000. Transportation, gasoline, $248, and then food service salaries, 2,000. Now, I want to say something. Next week, we're going to review the food services program. But traditionally we had half of the se head cook's salary in the budget matched by half you know payment from the collections that we have and traditionally we've had a director of food service a cook's assistant and a head cook. So for the p for three years ago we got full funding. We served 44,000 meals and it was fantastic because the state and federal government paid for all breakfastes and lunch and then they cut that back. We thought that some of that
039would continue but there were drastic cutbacks and we wound up in deficit but please note during that time we had some old, you know, cafeteria equipment. We've replaced that over a multi-year approach and uh what happened is we have uh you know an increase in the school lunch program but that's going to be matched by the collections. So the new budget proposal is an increase of 1.35% or cost at a cost of 98,524. When Tracy called me, she said, "Can you come up with $50,000 because we're looking at making sure the mill rate is a reasonable increase." Now, remember, you have a spending plan. So, things change all the time. Uh, a staff member resigns unexpectedly. Uh, a special ed student uh discontinues a program. a new special education child comes in. So, uh you
040know, it's it's just very very interesting. And uh we were very fortunate this year that we just happened to have two placements that moved out and I will tell you one of the other towns right now had to end immediately go on essential spending because of the cost of that placement. We were lucky. We were very very lucky. So I can go through the budget line by line, but this is this is what happens. And if the board approves it, then we can publicize this. Tracy can can work with the first selectman with planning for your next town meeting, which is June 18th at 5:00 p.m. in the vees. Gym. 7 7 7 p.m. 7 It's going to be It's going to be at 7, but we're going to tell people to um come at
041five. We're going to open the doors at 5 because last time it took forever to check everyone in. Yeah, that's why we started 25 minutes late. I started at 6:30, Tracy. So, I have 5:30 here, but I want 5:30. Well, we're gonna we have to we're going to put the request in and find out if anything's going on at the school at that time. Um, we ideally we would like to be have doors open around 5 or 5:30 so people can come and get checked in so that we can start on time. 7:00 7 p.m. Doors open. Please correct your please correct your form there because uh we'll send out a revised budget. Doors open though at 5:30. Yeah. 7:00 start with a door open at 5:30. Oh, okay. Okay. So, so I plead with
042you to to make a motion and to approve this and then if there's any changes, you know, we go through and we make adjustments with the budget and every month you get your function object report and it lists the adjustments that are there and and this board has been very very skilled at making sure that we make adjustments at the appropriate time and end the here uh with the with a budget and uh no no surprises, no cost overruns or other things. So th that's what's happening. Well, I think there's um just in terms of a um an overview, I know we've talked about a lot of these things since we started the budget in January time frame and even December, we saw the the um yeah, the beginning and the the kind of the
043look in the past of all the budgets, six years in in the making. And we love that sheet. I think Christopher brings out that sheet every single budget season and you see it all in in every year's. But um I do I do think it's important. I know we list out the priorities and and we pretty much understand that, but I don't know if all the town's people look at this, you know, but line by line. Um even just list of the priorities that that matter, you know, impacting this budget. Um we do have a a part-time superintendent and a part-time director of student services. Um we have had that for for many years. We were um very we spent a lot of work this year um once Mr. Burroughs had announced his retirement hiring
044a new superintendent and um fortunately for us we were able to they are they're bound um by a um Connecticut teachers retirement board formula of how their salaries are created and um that's it's a it's a very stringent formula and even we were able to keep to that with our new hiring. So, um that's very we feel very fiscally responsible in doing that and um and to keep keep our um sellers really, you know, in line for the for our town and what we can afford. So, I think that was prudent that we worked on that this year. Um again, we worked on some of the the busing needs and determined that eight buses, although in need, um we we went with the bare minimum of what we could survive on, which is four. So,
045um I think we did, you know, good work there. Um with the help of the town with the the purchase lease and um again, you know, I think this this special ed thing is always, you know, if we have a new student, we have to cover their needs. It's a moving target. And um and I think that's right now we're in a position to cover the students we have and and um and do the best by them to keep them here instead of outsourcing. So, and usually in my reports I make a recommendation and my recommendation uh would be to uh approve a you know a budget proposal of uh the um um you know approve a bud budget proposal of 7,399 which represents an increase of 98,524 or 1.35% over the current budget of
0467,300,1475. So, this allows the uh selectman Tracy's going to be walking out of here and readjusting her proposal and all of the information for the upcoming meetings. So, we're under under a $100,000 increase, but I think that that we can we can do it with the programs that we've set up and meet the needs of the children. But please, there's no extra tuitions in this budget at all. So, if something happens, then I have to go and look at other areas where we might cut back. Um, but I I think that the new superintendent and the board will be okay, but it's going to be a little tight next year. Okay. So, Tracy, this meets what you need. Okay. Yes. Motion. Motion. Second. A second. All in favor? I I Who is that? That was
047Sarah. Sarah. Okay. What? I um any opposed? And I think it's going to be interesting next week when we get the school lunch program update and also the transportation update and that will help with the planning for next year. All in favor of motion car. Motion passes. Okay. We shall send this budget to you um tomorrow. Yes. I really hope so, too. I mean, this is we're taking from maintenance and, you know, we can only budget how far things fall apart, you know, next year. So, fingers crossed we stay standing. And Kate, before we end the meeting, um, they restored the ECS hold harmless funding. Sorry. And Tracy went up and she testified up at the state capital. She stayed there until midnight and uh our state senator and our rep fought for us and
048if if we had that would have been a $114,000 loss in revenue for the next year and the following year it was even more so between the two. So, so that was so helpful and I can't I can't thank Tracy and and the uh legislative leadership for that and the public needs to know about that. That was critical. Yeah. Second that. I'm sorry, Tracy. And the list of things that comes above it like is one of the the higher things. How can you forget about that? ECS. Yes. No, that was that really helped. That really helped. The mill rate that was proposed um at the town meeting before had that cut in it. So that just just taking that out and putting that revenue back in um a change the rate too as well. Yeah.
049And it Yeah. It's doesn't go unnoticed because it takes everyone. You went up there and and Senator Summers did and and Representative Lenu went up. So I mean it's like it's a lot of time and effort and um they understand as long as you keep pounding the table they understand what our small town you know we can't take that hit. frustrating because I sat there. I was the last person in the building to testify and I sat there all day because I got there. It started at 3:00 in the afternoon. So, I sat there through the whole entire thing and heard testimonies because all the cities were there. They had students from the cities. They had um teachers from the cities were all there saying that the cuts needed to happen because they needed the
050money and the towns that were getting cut were the rich towns and and they needed the money from the rich towns. So, by the time I testified, I was so frustrated with hearing Volunt being called a rich town the whole time that I completely changed my speech from what I was planning on talking about. And I was just like, listen, I've sat here all day hearing how rich Volunttown is. And it's and it's a question to me how one state agency can determine the town to be a distressed municipality. Yet, according to the Department of Education and the way that they do the ECS cuts, we're considered a a rich town. Like, it doesn't make sense to me how this is possible. And I think that this should be a proof right there that the
051way they figure out the formulas is lacking somewhere because for you to take money away from a distressed municipality when every other thing out there is incentives to distress municipalities, it just does not make sense to me. And I was like so like ticked off by the time I went up there that that's all I talked about. And like everything else I was going to talk about was like gone. But the there were two ladies left in the room and because it was a Zoom meeting too. They were running the Zoom meeting and they were just like that was so good. Thank you. Now you can go home. Yeah. Well, hopefully that didn't that everyone heard. everyone that was supposed to hear heard and and and thankfully we we benefit from that from two years
052of holding harmless. So, thank you very much. Walk her back for next year. Yep. This will actually make eight years that the legislators have held us harmless. That's the whole time I've been here. Okay, great. Have a motion to adjurnn. Motion second. All in favor? I post. Thank you. Thank you. Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you guys. Tracy, you can work off those sheets with Julie for the numbers. Yeah. And then we'll we'll I'll redo the the uh introduction.