Groton Sets Tax Rate At 18.89 Mills

The Groton Town Council on Tuesday set the tax rate at 18.89 mills for the coming fiscal year, a 2.6 percent increase over the current rate.

The tax rate applies to every $1,000 of assessed value, and would translate into a $1,189 tax bill on a home assessed at $100,000.

“I think at the end of the day, for most people, a 2.6 percent increase in taxes is a reasonable increase, particularly given where we started,” Town Manager Mark Oefinger said.

The budget initially proposed would have required a tax increase of 9.8 percent, driven by increased spending in some areas and falling revenues on all fronts.

Oefinger said three things then happened: the council and Representative Town Meeting cut significant money from the budget, the town ended up with more revenue than initially expected, and the state spared local cities and towns major cuts in aid.

Groton's final budget of $118.48 million is .5 percent more than the current year, or about $616,900 above current spending.

Finance Director Salvatore M. Pandolfo said the town will receive $1.5 million more than expected in the areas of special education, federal pupil impact aid and state property tax relief.

The state budget still carries uncertainty, because it’s dependent on union concessions that are not final. But Oefinger said the council could not wait to set the tax rate.

“I found it to be a tremendously challenging budget year,” Councilor Bruce Flax said before the vote. He said the council and Representative Town Meeting should be praised for their work, considering where they started.

“We still didn’t satisfy the request of a lot of people,” Councilor Frank O’Beirne, Jr., said before the meeting. “They wanted a zero tax increase or a zero dollar increase, and we didn’t make either one of them.”

But he said the council also didn’t cut major services.