Both town and school officials cited preliminary 6% FY 2026 budget increases to the Board of Finance on Wednesday night, Oct. 23, but each said the numbers will likely decrease some.

Tasked with offering budget guidance both to the Board of Selectmen and to Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith and the Board of Education, the BOF hinted that at its next meeting it may suggest something closer to the 4% increase limit it offered last year.

The town itself is involved in four separate contractual wage negotiations over the coming months, so Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker declared that they may not even be able to provide firm numbers on those increases prior to next year’s budget approval.

Sharing an acerbic assessment of the numbers as they stand, BOF member Tim Birch said, “We got a bunch of numbers where everyone said, ‘Don’t count on these numbers.'”

Town (BOS) Budget

Knickerbocker and First Selectman Toni Boucher presented a preliminary budget of $37,884,065, which is an increase of $2,147,564 over the current $35.7 million budget.

Given the unknowns of negotiations, Knickerbocker said a wage increase of 7% has been allocated to the estimate at this time, along with increases in benefits.

“We’re budgeting relatively liberally until we know those numbers,” he said, with the police patrol union currently negotiating its next contract with the town.

Asked if they’ll have exact numbers for wages and benefits on the town side in time for a budget vote, Knickerbocker said probably not.

“I’ll see if we have enough data to refine some of these numbers … I may be able to give you some more directional data by your November date,” he said. “We’ll try. We’ve put some pretty aggressive guesses in here.”

The early BOS budget also includes $410,000 for three new positions within the Fire Department, which represent just a portion of the eight new positions its chief is saying are needed, due in part to future housing developments that are expected to add strain to town services.

“The [Fire] Commission is preparing a more detailed explanation and an analysis of this,” Boucher said. “They have not staffed up since 1999 … The department has reached breaking point and we have to start addressing it.”

School (BOE) Budget

Smith, meanwhile, shared details about the $5,487,577 increase he currently has on paper, making a total budget proposal of $98,725,736, which represents a 5.89% increase over the current budget of $93,238,159.

“It’s an early number,” he said. “We’re in the process of refining it now and I expect it to come down when we finally get to a budget proposal.”

Wages and benefits represent a big part of the increase, but Smith also cited transportation and the growth of special education tuition as significant additions.

“We’re anticipating general wage increases of just over 4%,” he said.

Bonding

After last year’s budget process, $15.9 million in debt has been authorized but not yet issued, including $6.4 million for the new police headquarters; $3.9 million for the Middlebrook School chiller, ventilator and repairs; $1.9 million for the Middlebrook roof; $1.6 million for Scribner Hill Rd. reconstruction; and $1.6 million for Town Hall renovations.

“This does not include anything that the building committee [Town and Schools Needs Assessment/Priorities Committee (TSNAP)] is discussing right now … This is only what’s been approved of,” BOF Chair Matthew Raimondi said.

BOF Assessment and Discussion

Raimondi offered a slide presentation to members, including details on the preliminary budgets and various charts on budget growth, school enrollment trends and per pupil expenditures.

“Last year we provided specific mill rate guidance,” he said, but this year stated it was too confusing to the process. Instead, the BOF will possibly give specific increase limits to the budgets.

“I think that will make things a lot more clear,” he said.

While both Smith and Boucher painted rosy pictures of what the money buys in relation to the schools and town services, at least two BOF members seemed skeptical about requests at this point.

“I think there are some solid arguments for where they’re landing (but) it’s a little bit of a hard pill to swallow two years in a row,” BOF member Sandra Arkell said, “so we are definitely going to have to try to prioritize and figure out what matters most.”

She spoke with unhappy resolve about the BOF’s restriction in only being able to manage costs, while she said some plans needed to be put in place to map out where the town wants to go in its future.

“I think this town has to figure out a way to come together … I’m not sure building apartments is our way to tax revenue. I’m not sure that’s the most efficient way,” Arkell said, following explanations by Boucher and Knickerbocker that imminent developments, while expanding the tax base, were ultimately going to cost the town a lot in terms of services.

“I’m hearing that there’s some headwinds ahead of us, potentially for years to come … The reality is we have probably defrayed costs for a number of years. We’re seeing that $130 million number that [former First Selectwoman] Lynne [Vanderslice] dropped on her way out has now ballooned to $210 [million].”

“Two hundred sixteen [million dollars],” Raimondi said.

“Exactly,” she said. “I think this is probably a huge surprise to the town.”

Vice Chair Stewart Koenigsberg expressed some unease with Boucher and Knickerbocker’s statements that the town was “seriously understaffed” in some departments.

“When we start talking about adding more people because we’re adding more people, I don’t really get it,” he said, noting that the budgets are already being driven by escalating compensation.

During the presentation Knickerbocker said several departments, including the finance office, the tax office and building maintenance were “seriously understaffed.”

“The need is still there, but in consideration of everything else we have going into this budget this year, we’re going to have to roll it back,” he said.

Boucher also pointed out that, although there is a need for additional personnel, there is nowhere at Town Hall to house them, getting back to the issue of improving and expanding town buildings.

“Our traditional 1- to 2% increases, I think those are history,” BOF member Rudy Escalante said.

Raimondi said it would be prudent for the board to provide its budget guidance at the next BOF meeting after members had had time to give the information more thought.

“Kevin and Toni and Matt recognize that these are very high numbers,” he said.