Weston Selectmen To Review Town, School Budgets

The Weston Board of Selectmen are set to discuss the town and school budgets tonight, before voting on whether to send them to the Board of Finance for review next month.

The selectmen are scheduled to meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room at town hall. The budget basics are as follows: 

• The Weston Board of Education unanimously approved a $46.29 million budget in January, which represents a 1.55 percent increase over the current budget.
• First Selectman Gayle Weinstein proposed a $11.69 million town budget, which represents an increase of 3.32 percent over the current budget.
• Weinstein recommended a capital budget of $733,728, which represents a 36 percent decrease from the current budget.
• Weinstein recommended $6.554 million for debt service, a decrease of $262,268 from the current amount.
• When combined, the town and capital budgets and debt service represent an overall decrease in the town's spending from 2012-2013 to 2013-2014 of $38,178, according to Weinstein.

According to Weinstein, if both budgets are approved, the town's mill rate will increase from $24.02 to $24.23 (0.87 percent).

Other agenda items for the meeting include discussing a gift from the Weston Gun Club Community Foundation of $11,717 to purchase protective equipment for the town's police officers and a discussion regarding amendments to the town's gun ordinance.

Next up, the Board of Finance will review the town budget on Monday, March 11, and Tuesday, March 12 (if necessary) and the school budget on Wednesday, March 13, and Thursday, March 14 (if necessary). Those meetings are all scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room at town hall.