Our Taxes
We all have household budgets and know what it means to live within our means. The majority of our budget is fixed costs, salary, and benefits.
As we develop the next Town budget, we wrestle with how to address the required increases, maintain our infrastructure, and make needed, incremental improvements while limiting the burden on our taxpayers.
Both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance are currently reviewing the budgets submitted by Town departments to identify which costs are essential to ensure that we are being prudent with your tax dollars.
Next month I will have much more details on this important topic. As always, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and get in at our preliminary Town budget meeting in April.
Our Schools
Beecher Road School and the Amity District Schools are top-notch school systems that continue to attract families to our community.
While the interaction between teachers and students drives this success, our building infrastructure needs regular maintenance and in the case of Beecher, major rethinking.
Since the start of the new year, we have taken steps to replace a significant portion of the Beecher roof and make ground improvements this summer that will address the impact of our increasingly volatile weather.
The Beecher administration has secured State grant funds that will cover almost one-third of the cost of the roof.
In addition, the Board of Selectmen is working with the Beecher administration to start an assessment process to understand how the physical structure of the school will need to evolve to meet the needs of a growing population of young learners. We will continue to provide information and updates as we move forward on this. Our Business Development
We have not fully capitalized on our potential for increasing commercial growth and activity as a source of revenue for our Town.
The 2030 Committee, established by Beth Heller, developed a plan to change this in the Business District.
By leveraging placemaking strategies to improve the vibrancy of the area and creating new pedestrian and automobile-friendly traffic flows, our business district will be better connected and more attractive to businesses and shoppers.
To make this happen, we have applied for an $11 million state grant and we will be working closely with our Town Plan & Zoning commission on additional options and possibilities.
Our Country Club Property
I know from speaking with you during our campaign and at the polls, that many of you are counting on this administration to address the 155-acre Country Club of Woodbridge situation head-on.
We are already reviewing land-use consulting proposals and hope to have a consultant in place in the spring to help us develop and present complete Woodbridge-specific options based on Town input and needs.
Once we have these recommendations, we will craft a plan that benefits our community without burdening our taxpayers. I will have much more to share with you about this in the coming months. Woodbridge. |