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Fairfield Leaders Still Weighing Potential Budget Cuts

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield’s legislators plan to make more cuts to the town’s spending next Monday night, but so far the representatives have made few specific proposals.

Fairfield's Representative Town Meeting will make its final decisions on the town's spending for the next year on May 6.

Fairfield's Representative Town Meeting will make its final decisions on the town's spending for the next year on May 6.

Photo Credit: File

The Representative Town Meeting held its first discussions about Fairfield’s 2013-14 town budget at its monthly meeting last week. Moderator Jeff Steele had asked representatives to suggest any potential cuts they planned to bring forward at that meeting, to give citizens and town department heads notice before the final vote on May 6.

“I would hope that if there are cuts coming up before the sixth, that they are presented in time for people to consider,” Steele said last week. “But I have not heard any cuts.”

Two specific proposals came forward April 23. Democratic Minority Leader Hal Schwartz suggested taking money from the Pequot Library’s $350,000 allocation, which had just been restored that same night. Schwartz said he disagreed with the Board of Finance’s decision to cut the library’s full funding from the town with little notice but said he would consider a cut of about $100,000 to save taxpayer money.

Republican Rep. David Mackenzie also said he planned to call for enough cuts to bring Fairfield’s tax increase down to 2 percent this summer—about $2.6 million of the more than $280 million total, by his estimate. Of that, he said he would propose a $1 million reduction from the Board of Education’s funding request, with the rest coming from town departments.

“It won’t be easy,” Mackenzie said. “In the process, we need to differentiate between services we need to have and those that are nice to have. There is fat in every budget, and Fairfield is no exception.”

Republican Majority Leader Joseph Palmer said he was not ready to proposed specific cuts last week. He added that he would keep the town’s Democrats and First Selectman Michael Tetreau informed about his ideas. But he would not announce any formal ideas before May 6.

The RTM heard some public comment Monday night, both for budget cuts and in support of education and other programs. Palmer also pointed out that residents can contact their representatives directly to voice support for town departments or budget cuts. The contact information for all 50 RTM members is available at the town website.

Steele said at the April 22 meeting that because of the lack of notice, he would allow the public to speak on every proposed cut at the final budget deliberations. The RTM’s budget vote is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Monday, May 6, in the gymnasium of Fairfield Warde High School.

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