Guilford Connecticut Proposes 855 Million Budget

Guilford Connecticut County Manager proposed 855 million budget for fiscal 2022-2023. The manager’s budget is always changed, but still has a lot of weight in the commission’s final decision. In turn, the manager’s recommended budget acts as the “rough draft” for what will happen to it in June. Halford’s budget for this year is $855 million, and it recommends keeping the county’s tax rate at 73.05 cent’s per $100 of assessed property value. 

Indeed, what sounds like a good thing for taxpayers may actually be a bad thing for them, since Guilford County is about to reassess the value of all property. This means that citizens will end up paying significantly more in taxes than in previous years. The Guilford County School District will receive a $16 million increase in funding. This is the largest one-year increase that the county has ever given Guilford Connecticut County Schools. 

The manager’s 2022-2023 budget includes 51 new county positions, which are meant to address service demands and protect county assets. New positions will also bring the county’s employee-per-capita ratio more in line with that of the state. Furthermore, the Guilford Connecticut County Health Department will be hiring three positions in total. Halford’s budget also includes a new position to advance the county’s model of mental health treatment. 

Currently, there are only two family justice centers in Guilford Connecticut County. The manager for the centers told the commissioners that they are continuously getting used a lot. The new budget invests in public records requests, and also brings two new positions to the Guilford County Clerk’s Office and the Purchasing Department. Two new positions will counsel the county about its finances, one of which was created in the Paralegal Department. Funding for technology and security services has been increased. Most local governments have been experiencing cyber attacks, partly because of a lack of IT staff. 

The board of commissioners recently appointed more planning positions in order for the developer’s frustration to be decreased. Three new positions have been created at Environmental Services to provide added attention to illegal dumping and to interact with the county’s network of waste haulers. Fifty million dollars in extra money for education capital needs has been approved by the voters, so their plan will be used to calculate when and what the money will be used for. The budget also strengthens the county’s savings account so it can better handle emergencies. 

The manager’s budget is up to a vote by the nine-member Board of Commissioners. They have to be a majority approval for the Gilford Connecticut budget.