Notes from the Board of Aldermen: The Budget 2025 and More
*Editor’s note: My apologies, once again, for failing to post these ‘Notes…’ sooner. Work and life intervened — but I have not forgotten! You deserve to know what is going on in the City of Milford, and how I voted. After all, this seat is yours — not mine. And my intent is to always serve at your behest.
With that, on with the program…
May 8 - The Budget Vote
Taxes will be going up — and it could have, more than likely, been avoided had it not been a municipal election year.
On May 8, the Milford Board of Aldermen (BOA) — in a party-line 8-7 vote, with a Democrat majority — approved a $264.7 million budget. The mill will increase by 0.41 (from 29.14 mills to 29.55), raising residents’ property tax bills by an average of $184.
Yet, when presented with “technical changes” prior to the budget vote, which would have lowered taxes, Democrats insinuated they did not want to give Mayor Anthony Giannatassio — who is running for re-election this fall — a positive campaign slogan. After reviewing the proposed amendments for nearly an hour, Alderman Jennifer Federico admitted as much, saying:
“…it’s more important that we do a good job when we’re voting on this budget for the citizens of Milford than to have the meeting go the way [the mayor] would like it to go, which would would be for us to just vote ‘yes’ on everything, give you a flat tax rate, and let you run on that in your campaign.”
In truth, Alderman Federico is correct, at least to an extent: the BOA should do its due diligence and reflect on financial implications for the city’s long-term fiscal health. Nevertheless, the mayor’s Democratic opponent, Richard Smith — who was interim mayor from May to November 2023 — has been campaigning on “Lower taxes. Stronger Milford.”
One can’t help but suspect the Democratic majority on the BOA trying to set the current mayor up for electoral defeat in November by associating him with higher taxes, rather than making Milford more affordable. Aldermen Federico even called Mayor Giannatassio’s technical changes — which were recommended by Finance Director Peter Erodici — to be “political” in a letter to the editor in the Milford Mirror.
The technical changes would have used an additional $1 million from the general fund surplus, instead of the originally budget $6 million. Moreover, as the Milford Mirror reported:
Numbers from Chief of Staff Justin Rosen showed that if the amendments were all approved, the net expenditure would have dropped by $1,066,756 with revenues increasing by $2.7 million. …Taxes would have decreased by $3,766,756, lowering the mill rate to 29.09. Rosen said a home with a market value of $500,000 would have seen an $18 tax cut under the mayor’s amendments.
The final amount may not have been much in savings; but it is not the government’s money — it is your money. Moreover, a tax decrease is a good thing.
However, Democrats stated the technical changes essentially would raid the city’s “rainy day fund” — yet former Democratic Mayor Ben Blake did this for years to lower taxes. Additionally, he underfunded the city’s overall pension obligations, which, prior to his first term, eclipsed 100%, but dropped to around 80% by the end of his tenure. Mayor Giannatassio, meanwhile, has been fully funding the pension the past two years to get Milford back to that 100%.
To avoid tax increases, especially when Connecticut’s cost-of-living is one of the most expensive in the nation, is a “rainy day” in my estimation. As I mentioned in my statement that evening:
“Connecticut is a hard state to afford. We have one of the highest property taxes in the nation. We have one of the highest electricity rates in the United States. And we are one of the worst states to start a business. We had a chance to lower taxes with these technical changes presented tonight, to alleviate the tax burden for our neighbors. We could have helped them make their lives more affordable here. And we could have been one of the few towns in Connecticut to actually lower taxes. So, I’m just shocked why we wouldn’t have taken that chance to lower taxes regardless of which party sits in the mayor’s chair.”
Ultimately, I voted no on the budget because of the tax increase. However, the BOA approved several amendments to the budget, including:
Increasing the “General Fund Expenditure, Pension: Fire/Police/General Account” from $17.3 million to $17.7 million for a new subtotal of $35,157,107 and a department total of $35,186,507.
Decreasing the “General Fund Expenditure, Self Insurance Contribution Account” from $10.7 million to $10.3 million for a new subtotal of $35,157,107 and a department total of $35,186,507.
Decreasing the “General Fund Expenditure, Heart & Hypertension Claims Account” from $900,000 to $750,000 for a new subtotal of $758,700 and a department total of $763,700.
Throughout the process, one of the main debates centered on the Milford Board of Education (BOE) budget. For the third consecutive year, the Board of Finance (BOF) reduced an increase to the BOE’s budget, this time by $1.3 million from the original $115.3 million request to $114 million. For context, the BOE initially approved a $5.3 million or a 4.87% increase to its budget when compared to the previous year (i.e., the 2024-2025 budget).
As a consequence, the BOE offered the possibility of closing Harborside Middle School to make up for the $1.3 million shortfall; in response, many residents asked the BOA to reverse the BOF’s reduction and fully restore the BOE’s original budget.
However, like last year, I did not vote to restore the reduction of the BOE’s budget mostly due to Connecticut’s high cost-of-living; and from the reality that more money does not necessarily equate to better academic results — which is the ultimate goal. Nevertheless, I would have considered putting some money back if my Democratic colleagues agreed to the technical changes. If so, the BOA would have had the capability to not only fund more programs, but also lower taxes.
And, to his credit, Alderman Matt Arciuolo seemed interested in the proposition; however, the vote was called right after Alderman Jason Jenkins floated the idea.
In the end, the BOE budget was approved at $114 million, which is an increase from the previous year ($109 million); and Harborside has not been closed — although, Milford Public School (MPS) let several staff go to meet the budgetary parameters.
Still, on school closures, it is no longer an “if” but “when” as the BOE is currently facilitating a “Long Range Facilities” Plan. You can learn more about that here.
June 2 Meeting
The June 2 meeting primarily focused on approving the construction of a “new City Building for the Milford Health Department.” Mayor Giannatassio and Director of Health Deepa Joseph expressed an urgent need for the nearly $5 million in available American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to fund the project, since the monies are obligated to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
Essentially, the predicament was either ‘use it’ or ‘lose it.’
Moreover, the Mayor and Health Director emphasized the poor conditions of the current Milford Health Department (MHD) building downtown (which is adjacent to the Milford Fire Department Station). During discussion, a majority of the BOA agreed on the need for either renovations, a new home for MHD, or a new building.
However, where the major split came was in the proposed location: the Wasson Field parking lot. See the pictures below of the location and design.
There were also concerns about the project’s total cost, which Health Director Joseph estimated between $5-$10 million; however, she told the BOA that in order to know the final amount, the board’s approval was needed to proceed with design work and collaborate with architects.
Another source of contention was whether the city would lose parking spaces — which Milford Public Works (MPW) Director Chris Saley assured the parking lot’s reconfiguration would be sufficient, adding residents could park on West River Street, at the Congregational Church, or in a grassy area nearby. (However, that remains to be seen by yours truly). Moreover, due to its proximity to a ballfield, BOA members asked if the proposed location would be in foul territory. MPW Director Saley told the BOA the windows would be impact resistance glass, so foul balls shouldn’t be an issue. (Although, that also remains to be seen by yours truly.)
My objection, aside from the aforementioned concerns, was also aesthetics. Downtown Milford is increasingly over-developed, with limited open space (or open air space). This is a concern plenty of Milford residents have shared with me too. And I firmly believe people desire to live near and by beautiful places — instead of a cluttered city.
I understand the need for new Health Department building that is centrally located, and the urgency in utilizing the remaining ARPA funds; but if the BOE is planning to close schools, why couldn’t the city reconfigure an existing structure? Moreover, the new building would disrupt community events like the summer Farmer’s Market.
In short, I was (and still am) skeptical of the project — so that’s why I voted no.
July 7 Meeting
At the beginning of the July 7th BOA meeting, Mayor Giannatassio honored the Foran High School softball team which won the Class M State Championship against Woodland of Beacon Falls. It was a great moment — and the team brings tremendous pride to the community at-large. Kudos to them for an undefeated and awesome season!
The bulk of the time was devoted to Public Comment where residents of Caswell Cove, a condominium association located on the Housatonic River, shared with the BOA about an odor emitting from the nearby waste treatment facility. Residents expressed how the stench is affecting their quality of life. Later in the evening, MPW Director Saley told the BOA how the city has been trying to mitigate the smell, and will do so further, but admitted the odor can also be impacted by the weather (i.e., heavy rain or dry spells).
Another expressed concern was related to over-development in Devon. The United Church of Christ-Devon on Ormond St. and Pequot St. has shuttered its doors. In its place, the city is reportedly aiming to develop housing for disabled veterans. Though residents expressed their appreciation for veterans, they raised issues about parking — which is currently difficult due to Dockside — and traffic congestion. See below for the area in question.
I will update these “Notes” when there is more information on both issues.
The BOA’s business, on the other hand, was relatively simple. The city requested to move $500,000 from the Sewer Fund (which currently holds roughly $3.8 million) toward “various wastewater expenditures,” including electricity expenses and waste removal. Seeing the need, the motion was unanimously approved.
The Future
As stated in the Editor’s Note, the position to which I was elected is the people’s seat. With the Milford Republican Town Committee convention on July 22, more than likely, if chosen by delegates within my district, I will be seeking another term to serve you.
To that end, if there is another way you would like me to share information from these meetings — or how I view the local goings on — please let me know.
With that, God bless and keep you; and see you (possibly) on the campaign trail.