Granby Board of Finance Trims $330,000 from 2013-2014 Budget Proposal

(Updated April 25, 5 p.m.) 
The Board of Finance has looked at trimming $330,000 from the town's 2013-2014 budget proposal, town manager William F. Smith Jr. said Wednesday morning. 

The finance board took the action Tuesday night following the defeat of the budget at referendum Monday but will consider the budget again after next week's public hearing. 

From the amount, $80,000 would be cut from town services and the remainder from the Board of Education. The boards of Education and Selectmen will decide where to make the cuts, Smith said. 

The school board would likely talk about the issue at its meeting Wednesday night, Smith said. Selectmen have scheduled a special meeting before the public hearing on April 29. 

The adjustment brings the budget to $41,622,968, a 1.8 percent increase in spending over the 2012-2013 approved budget of $40,881,148. 

Due to revaluation, property tax impact would vary. Smith said new proposed numbers for the mill rate will be posted to the town's web site. 

Using your new assessment and the proposed rate when it's available, the following instructions are offered by the state office of policy and management to calculate your property tax. 

"A mill is equal to $1.00 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. To calculate the property tax, multiply the assessment of the property by the mill rate and divide by 1,000. For example, a property with a assessed value of $50,000 located in a municipality with a mill rate of 20 mills would have a property tax bill of $1,000 per year."

Town assessor Susan Altieri said people can also call the office at (860) 844-5311 to get the numbers.  

A public hearing on the new proposal is set to take place April 29 at 7 p.m. at the high school. The Board of Finance will meet at 8 p.m. or after the hearing to consider whether to take any other action on the revision. Another referendum will take place a week later from noon to 8 p.m. on May 6 at Town Hall.