The city’s budget process is in full swing, as all local departments, including the Board of Education, submitted proposals for the 2019-20 fiscal year to the mayor’s office by the Friday, Feb. 15, statutory deadline.
The major budget submission comes from the Board of Education, which, by a 7-2 vote last month, approved a proposed $74,873,730 budget, a $2.17 million, or 2.99%, hike from the present year’s budget.
Mayor Mark Lauretti, a veteran of 28 years to this process, must present his budget to a joint session of the Board of Appropriations & Taxation (A&T) and Board of Aldermen no later than March 22. If for some reason the mayor fails to submit a budget by April 1, the city finance director shall submit a budget to the Board of A&T and Board of Aldermen.
The Board of A&T, no later than May 1, will review the mayor’s budget and hold at least one departmental hearing in joint session with the Board of Aldermen. Board of A&T then submits the budget to the Board of Aldermen.
By May 15, the Board of Aldermen will have to review budget and hold at least one public hearing. The Board of Aldermen must adopt a budget and tax rate in mills and file it with the finance director by May 31.
Shelton Budget Process
