By Tom Williamson
In a fiscal year ’24-’25 budget presentation at the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) Budget Committees, First Selectman Fred Camillo provided a comprehensive overview of the town’s financial plan. The presentation covered key aspects such as the Residents’ Satisfaction Survey, BET guidelines, capital budget, operating budget, and crucial projects in the pipeline.
The Residents’ Satisfaction Survey kicked off the presentation with a resounding 85% satisfaction rate among respondents. Camillo expressed his delight, likening the positive feedback to the joy inspired by “puppies and kittens and baseball and hot dogs, apple pie.” Notably, the quality of education and the state of schools topped residents’ concerns, with a focus on school infrastructure and traffic.
Camillo underscored the significance of an open-ended survey, allowing residents to express their concerns freely. The survey revealed that 79% of residents rated the value of their tax dollars as good or excellent, defying national trends. He emphasized the consistency in satisfaction levels over the past decade, with a slight increase in the last two years.
In talking with the Greenwich Sentinel, Camillo said of the survey, “we were really happy that the survey came back and validated what we’ve been doing for four years, focusing on things like pedestrian and public safety, sidewalks, trails, open space, and certainly fighting for local control of zoning. That showed up also in that survey. So we’re very happy and when I meet with the BET members next week, I certainly will be referencing this again.”
Town parks and trails emerged as the most important services to residents, validating the town’s strategic investments in these areas. Traffic and school improvements were identified as top priorities, showcasing the town’s commitment to addressing residents’ concerns through the capital plan.
The BET guidelines outlined a prudent financial strategy, including a $140 million capital budget for fiscal year ’25 and a five-year plan with a total capital budget of $420 million. Camillo highlighted a 3.24% mill rate increase and estimated budget increases of 3% for the town and 4.3% for the Board of Education. The capital budget, governed by the town charter, demonstrated a shift to a more focused five-year plan for better long-term planning.
The capital budget projection of $373.8 million over the next five years showcased the town’s commitment to infrastructure investments. Specific projects, such as the Shore Road Sidewalk and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAC) Route One signal timing, were detailed to address traffic and pedestrian safety concerns. Camillo praised the success of the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center and announced plans for the Old Greenwich Elementary School.
Addressing concerns about budget pressure, Camillo acknowledged the direct impact of funding decisions on operating budgets and highlighted the town’s transparent approach to financial planning.
Moving to the operating budget, Camillo noted the challenges and emphasized adherence to the BET guidelines. The proposed budget showed a 3% increase for town services and a 5.65% increase for the Board of Education. The discussion delved into the intricacies of the budget, touching on fixed charges, healthcare, and revenue sources.
A notable addition was the introduction of new positions, including code enforcement and sustainability roles, reflecting the town’s commitment to quality of life and environmental concerns. Camillo acknowledged the headcount adjustments and stressed the importance of these positions in managing future challenges.
Camillo added “certainly the two new positions which I have very rarely asked for, we think not only are they needed, but one of them will absolutely pay for itself going forward.”
The presentation concluded with a summary highlighting the town’s adherence to BET guidelines and a modest mill rate increase. Camillo assured residents that the proposed changes would maintain Greenwich’s status as a town with one of the lowest mill rates in Connecticut.
In closing, Camillo expressed gratitude to all involved in the budget process, “I want to thank everybody including Ben Branyan and Wendy Zhou and the department heads that helped get us down to where we were because it was a challenging year and that just a few weeks ago we were about 1.2 million over it and we just got it down to basically at guidelines. It was a lot of work, but a lot of prioritizations going on there. And again, a lot of the money that you’ll see in the budget will be refunded to us and the town will be made it whole in some cases in the form of grants. There’s a lot of good news in there.”
