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Darien Board of Finance Proposes Slight Tax Cut, RTM to Vote in May

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A slight tax cut, shaving eight cents per $1,000 in assessed value in Darien property taxes, would go into effect if the Representative Town Meeting approves the package of budget and tax proposals just passed by the Board of Finance on Monday night. The new mill rate would be 16.08 mills, or $16.08 in taxes per $1,000 in assessed value, due in two installments on Jan. 1 and July 1 next year. The current mill rate is 16.16 mills, and the proposed mill rate would be a reduction of about half of 1 percent. Town officials said they wanted to avoid new programs in the budget, and keep a vice grip on hiring new staff. Capital projects involving construction were also minimized, with some new projects proposed for bonding rather than the operating budgets, spreading their cost into future years.

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Town Officials: Here’s What Happened With That Retirement Contribution Plan That Upset Town Education Officials

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After the chairperson of the Board of Education and the superintendent of schools criticized town officials for informing them of suddenly increased pension plan contributions after the superintendent had already submitted a recommended budget, the first selectman and town administrator responded at a Board of Education meeting last week. There was a dramatic change in the amount actuaries are now recommending that the town contribute to the pension plan for town and school district employees. The change means sharply higher costs for the town, including an increase of $250,000 for the part of the payment coming from the 2018-2019 education budget. “[At] the most recent Board of Ed meeting […] there was some drama over the pension numbers,” Stevenson said. What Was Said at the Board of Education Meeting
From Darienite.com’s Jan.

Darien Public Schools

Board of Ed Chair and Schools Sup’t Express Shock at Sudden $250K Hike in Employee Retirement Cost

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Board of Education Chairperson Tara Ochman voiced outrage Tuesday night that the school district was given the news as late as Monday by town officials that the annual contribution for employee retirement benefits just jumped by $250,000 — a 38 percent increase over last year. The sudden hike in costs came weeks after Schools Superintendent Dan Brenner presented a 2018-2019 annual district budget 2.75 percent higher than last year’s. With the new cost, the budget increase would come in at 3.01 percent, he said. “We are both frustrated and disappointed,” Ochman said at the start of Tuesday night’s regular Board of Education meeting. “It is […] disappointing because I do know the [school district] administration has reached out since January trying to get these numbers” on next year’s contribution to the employee retirement fund.

Bob Duff 7-

Panel Discussion on Changes to State Funding for Local Education

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A panel discussion on changes to state funding for local education, hosted by state Sen. Bob Duff, is being held starting at 7 p.m. in Norwalk City Hall. “This is opportunity for folks to learn more about the important changes included in this year’s bipartisan budget that delivers critical funding to our cities and towns,” said an announcement from Duff’s office. On the panel will be Duff,  Connecticut School Finance Project Director Katie Roy, Democrats for Education Reform Connecticut State Director Amy Dowell, Norwalk Federation of Teachers President Mary Yordon, and Board of Education member Barbara Meyer-Mitchell. Duff, the majority leader in the state Senate — the No. 2 position, just below the state Senate president pro tempore — represents Norwalk and about half of Darien in the 25th district. Sertraline no prescription
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Town Hall

Darien Town Officials Talk Fiscal Tight-Fistedness at Recent Public Meetings

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Monday night’s Representative Town Meeting, at which RTM members heard State of the Town addresses, was only one of the public meetings this month where top town officials said Darien is in for years of belt-tightening. Schools Superintendent Dan Brenner told the Board of Education weeks before that he didn’t expect to roll out any new programs or costly initiatives in the upcoming budget. The only additions he was contemplating were for a few new employees, and he said he expected to make a strong case for them. The school district’s fiscal forecast showed increases in the budget on the order of 2 to 4 percent a year for the next five years. But Board of Finance Chairman Jon Zagrodzky said at a Board of Finance meeting on Nov.