741 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, Connecticut 06339-1551

(860) 464-3203

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Town Council

council@ledyardct.org

Meeting Minutes

Chairman S. Naomi

Rodriguez

Public Hearing Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget - Hybrid Formaat

Monday, April 21, 2025

7:00 PM

Ledyard Middle School Auditorium;

1860 Route 12, Gales Ferry

In-Person: Ledyard Middle School Auditorium; 1860 Route 12, Gales Ferry, Connecticut

Remote: Information noted below:

Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83758167511?pwd=hJeNJsgbTLtQJKejpmDsXS1Kvg2KZb.1;

or by audio only telephone +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 837 5816 7511; Passcode:

151780.

CALL TO ORDER

IC.hairman Rodriguez called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the

Ledyard Middle School Auditorium; 1860 Route 12, Gales Ferry, Connecticut.

II.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III.

PROCEDURE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING

Chairman Rodriguez announced the procedure of the Public Hearing. She noted tonight’s

Public Hearing was a hybrid format noting that residents could attend in-person or remotely

via the Zoom video conference. She asked those attending via video conference to mute their

devices until they wanted to address the meeting.

Chairman Rodriguez stated they would begin the Public Hearing with budget presentations

from Town Council Finance Committee Chairman Tony Saccone and School Superintendent

Jason Hartling. She stated a Public Comment period would follow.

IV.

CALL OF THE PUBLIC HEARING

Administrative Assistant Roxanne Maher read the call of the meeting as follows:

LEGAL NOTICE

TOWN OF LEDYARD

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Ledyard Town Council will conduct a Public Hearing

at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025

to receive comments/recommendations regarding a

Proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget.

This Public Hearing will be Hybrid Format

Please join the Public Hearing in-person or

remotely from your computer, tablet, or smartphone as follows:

In-person attendance will be at the

Ledyard Middle School Auditorium

1860 Route 12, Gales Ferry, Connecticut

Remote Attendance: Via Zoom Video Conference at:

<https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83758167511?pwd=hJeNJsgbTLtQJKejpmDsXS1Kvg2KZb.1>

or by audio only telephone +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 837 5816 7511; Passcode: 151780

Interested persons may submit

written communications to towncouncil@ledyardct.org <mailto:towncouncil@ledyardct.org>

Copies of the proposed Budget will be available on April 16, 2025 in the

Town Clerks’ Office and on the town’s website at:

<https://www.ledyardct.org/Proposed-BOE-Budget>

<https://www.ledyardct.org/proposed-annual-budget>

For the Ledyard Town Council

s/s S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman

Please Publish on: Friday, April 11, 2025

Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget - Public Hearing

Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Annual Budget- Public Hearing

PRESENTATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2025/2026 PROPOSED BUDGET

Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Annual Budget- Public Hearing Presentations

Town Council Finance Committee Chairman Tony Saccone welcomed all those who were

attending tonight’s Public Hearing both in-person and by video conference.

Councilor Saccone provided a brief overview of the Annual Budget Process noting the

Mayor submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget to the Town Council on March

3, 2025 (first Monday in March) in accordance with the Chapter VII; Section 4, of the Town

Charter. He went on to note the Finance Committee held three Budget Work Sessions on

March 6, 10, & 18, 2025 to meet with the Mayor and Department Heads. He stated at their

Special Meeting held on April 7, 2025 that the Finance Committee approved to forward the

proposed budget for Town Council approval at their April 9, 2025 meeting to present at

tonight’s Public Hearing. He noted after tonight’s Public Hearing the Finance Committee

would have the opportunity to make additional budget adjustments at their Special Meeting

scheduled for April 23, 2025 to consider residents comments and any new information that

has come in, before forwarding the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget to the Town Council for

their final approval to be presented at the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for May 19, 2025

that would adjourn to a vote on the machines on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

Councilor Saccone stated the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget presented this evening

was in the amount of $71,062,240; comprised of a General Government of $30,394,998

4.24% increase (included Town and Board of Education Employees Healthcare Insurance);

and a Board of Education $40,667,242; an increase of 5.98%.

Councilor Saccone stated when the Mayor received the budget requests from his Department

Heads and from the Board of Education that the budget was calling for a 5 mil increase. He

stated the Mayor worked to reduce expenses and presented a proposed Fiscal Year

2025/2026 Budget to the Town Council calling for a 3.15 mil increase. He stated of the 45

General Government Department segments that 22 segments had an increase of 0%.

Councilor Saccone went on to note that the Finance Committee reviewed the proposed Fiscal

Year 2025/2026 Budgets with the Department Heads line by line and worked to further

reduce the Budget increase. He stated the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in the

amount of $71,062,240 was calling for a 2.76 mil increase; for a projected Mil Rate of

37.97. He stated the proposed budget was responsible and resourceful, noting that there were

few new opportunities for continued consolidations and savings.

Councilor Saccone stated in submitting his proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget to the Town

Council that Mayor Allyn, III, noted the following:

Grand List for the 2024 Valuation yielded a decrease of 0.51% for a loss of about

$6,699,094 in assessed loss value; which was mostly driven by the State’s methodology

for motor vehicle evaluation, and a new Veterans Property tax exemption providing a

$520,000 reduction in tax revenues.

· Debt Service decreased $107,580 (2.72%) compared to last year’s decrease of $448,820,

school roof projects.

· As of June 30, 2024, the Town’s pension plan was 88.7% funded compared to 84% as of

June 30, 2023. The increase was attributed to sound management and favorable market

conditions

70.88% of Ledyard’s Tax Revenue comes from residential property taxes.

Budget Revenues from Grand Lists for area towns that were most comparable to Ledyard

were two to three times higher than Ledyard’s Grand List. Ledyard has historically been the

leader in the area for having a heavy reliance on residential property taxes, with 95% of

Ledyard’s Tax Revenue coming from residential property taxes.

Councilor Saccone provided an overview of the Revenues noting that the October 1, 2024

Grand List saw a 0.51% decrease in assessed value (total net 1,311,231,566). In the coming

year the projected revenue and changes from the current year were as follows: Taxes 70.88%

an increase of 1.68%; State and Federal Aid: 23.34% a decrease of 0.715%; Charges for

Services 3.23% a decrease of 0.56%, Investment on Income; 0.74% a decrease of 0.08%; Mil

Rate Stabilization contribution: 1.81% an increase of 0.33%. He noted that this year’s Mill

rate stabilization input would be $1,304,675 to help offset the mil rate increase.

Councilor Saccone stated the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund current balance was at $3.1

million. The Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget has factored in using $1,304,675 which would

equate to one mil. He explained that the idea of the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund was similar

to a “Rainy Day Fund” and was used to smooth out or keep the mil rate somewhat stable. He

stated without using the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund in the upcoming budget they would be

looking at a 3.7-mil rate increase to support the town’s operational expenses.

Councilor Saccone stated that they expect income from non-tax sources to decrease by

0.71% He noted Ledyard anticipated Education Cost Sharing (ECS) from the State would

remain flat, and that there continued to be concerns over the funding methodology for

Special Education (SPED). He also stated that Ledyard should continue to see the same level

of funding from the State in areas such as Town Aid Road (TAR) and Payment in Lieu of

Taxes (PILOT).

Councilor Saccone stated Finance Director Matthew Bonin worked with the Bank to earn a

higher interest yield on the towns funds. He stated the projected Interest Earned Revenue for

the upcoming year would be more than $525,000; and he thanked Mr. Bonin for his work.

Councilor Saccone presented the Revenues by Source as shown in the attached PowerPoint.

Councilor Saccone provided an overview of the Budget Expenditures by function noting the

General Government Budget in the amount of $30,394,998 included approximately

$9,643,000 of Board of Education in-kind expenses comprised of health care benefits, debt

service obligations, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, retirement

obligations, school nursing and other miscellaneous services. 57.23% of the total budget is

allocated for Board of Education expenses (this does not include in-kind expenses), 20.91%

is allocated for General Government expenses, 6.98% is allocated for Public Safety, 4.84% is

allocated for Public Works, 2.08% is allocated for Capital, 0.72% is allocated for Health &

Welfare, 0.89% is allocated for Library, 0.94% is allocated for Parks & Recreation; and

5.41% is allocated for Debt Service, as shown in the pie charts in the attached PowerPoint.

Councilor Saccone provided an overview of the town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)

noting the General Government budget allocates $1,476,345 to the Capital Improvement

Plan (CIP) that is tax levy funded. This funding, combined with state and federal grants,

borrowing, and other funding sources, provides for a total CIP in the amount of $6,011,809.

The CIP includes continued funding for critical road repairs/maintenance, reserve fund

allocations for emergency services equipment, future vehicle purchases, technology

enhancements, the replacement of the High School fire alarm system, renovations of the

High School science lab classrooms and renovations of Juliet W. Long School classrooms,

Dehumidification at the Middle School and Gallup Hill School, Chiller Replacement at the

Gales Ferry School, enclosed bird nesting locations, the Lantern Hill Bridge Replacement,

Parks & Recreation Master Plan Needs Assessment Study, and Pickleball Court Upgrades.

Councilor Saccone noted the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 included $3,847,450 for Debt

Service for continuing the payment of bonds for the construction of police headquarters

facility and school renovation projects, as well as Clean Water Funds for the watermain

extension projects. The debt service would see a $107,580 or 2.72% decrease from the

current year.

Councilor Saccone reviewed the status of the capital projects the Town has been working on

this year, noting that the construction work on some of these projects have been completed

while construction work on a number of other projects would continue into the coming year

as follows: the Sewer Line Extension Project, Board of Education Various School

improvement Projects that include: replacement of the roofs at the Central Office, Gales

Ferry School, and Juliet W. Long School; installation of solar equipment at Gales Ferry

School and Juliet W. Long School; upgrades to the building management systems at Gales

Ferry School; and electrical and HVAC upgrades at Juliet W. Long School.

American Rescue Act Funding (ARPA) $4,327,000

Councilor Saccone went on to explain the Finance Committee continued their work to

review the status of the projects that were approved at the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Budget

Referendum for the use of the $4,327,000 Federal American Rescue Act Funding (ARPA)

that Ledyard received. With some projects coming in under budget, and based on

Departments recommendations at the December 11, 2024 meeting the Town Council

approved to allocate funding for the following projects to ensure Ledyard met the federal

guidelines that required all of the ARPA funding to be obligated by the end of the 2024

calendar year; and spent (liquidated) by the end of the 2026 calendar year:

$14,999 for Smart Projectors for the Board of Education @ $3,000 each

$50,000 to install a Solid Playground Surface at the Juliet W. Long School

10,000 to the Parks & Recreation Summer Camp Scholarships

$2,500 to conduct an A2 Survey of the Spicer Homestead Ruins

$20,000 to purchase CPR Devices

$5,500 to purchase/install an ADA Compliance counter in the Town Clerk’s Office

Councilor Saccone provided an overview of the ARPA Projects noting that to date thirty-one

projects have been completed and nineteen projects were in-progress. He noted that the

projects that made the ARPA List ranged from infrastructure projects such as the Ledyard

Center Sewer Line Extension project to supporting our Regional Agency Partners, to facility

maintenance projects, preservation of historical landmarks and park improvements, software

upgrades and many others.

ARPA Projects

Completed

Playscape Replacement at 13 Winthrop, Gales Ferry

$50,111.00

Housing Rehab Grant - additional funding

$100,000.00

A2 Survey of Spicer Homestead Ruins

LED Sign Panel, Gales Ferry

LED Sign Panel, Ledyard Center

$2,500.00

$26,443.27

$29,816.88

Replace Food Pantry Roof

Vinyl Re-siding of Food Pantry

Solar Charging Stations

Added ClearGov Modules

Install WI-FI in Food Pantry

Balance of funding for Owl Pro

Concrete Floor - Pole Barn

Town Green Upgrade Project

Police Radio Interoperability

Replace Dispatch Stations (2) in EOC

Radio upgrades

Replace Firehouse software

Automated Doors - Senior Center

Road Restoration Fund

Emergency Services Building HVAC system replacement

Park & Rec / Senior Center HVAC system replacement

Town Hall HVAC system replacement

$8,700.00

$18,392.35

$5,816.14

$10,500.00

$2,640.76

$831.00

$100,000.00

$75,000.00

$46,125.00

$60,486.98

$14,513.00

$8,000.00

$4,972.00

$114,885.00

$204,023.84

$152,382.44

$80,072.48

Exterior Doors (TH and Annex) w/ Electronic Locking Systems $4,972.00

Replace brackets on streetlight poles

Ledge Light Health District - support COVID initiatives

TVCCA - Commissary project

Homeless Hospitality Center of New London

Skid Mounted Sewer Pumps

Sandy Hollow Road Guardrail Replacement

Rotary Drum Thickener Panel

CPR device purchase

$2,520.00

$43,270.00

$15,000.00

$10,000.00

$193,816.27

$300,000.00

$32,653.33

$20,000.00

ARPA Projects

In-Progress

Gales Ferry Tennis Court Repairs

Gales Ferrry Basketball Court Repairs

Gales Ferry Fence Replacement

Senior Center Floor Main Room

Senior Center Kitchen Floor

Senior Center Vestibule Floor

Parks and Rec Summer Scholarships

Nathan Lester House repairs

$22,478.00

$9,930.00

$11,556.00

$11,255.00

$3,629.00

$1,028.00

$10,000.00

$77,829.82

$41,340.00

$48,333.67

Ledyard Up/Down Sawmill

Gales Ferry Corridor Study

Funding for youth mental health clinicians

Sidewalk Infill in Ledyard Center

Town Hall Vertical Lift

ADA Compliant Counter - Town Clerk's Office

Sewer Line Extension Phase I

$119,440.00

$5,200.00

$8,756.24

$4,879.00

$674,032.05

Multi-Use Pathway Administration and Engineering $101,582.74

Sewer Line Extension Phase III $276,426.15

Smart Projectors for BOE

Solid Playground Surface - JWL - BOE

$14,131.00

$16,065.35

Councilor Saccone addressed the projected 37.97 mil rate to support the proposed Fiscal

Year 2025/2026 Budget as presented this evening in the amount of $71,062,240; and he

provided a comparison of area towns for the upcoming Fiscal Year (see attached

Powerpoint).

Councilor Saccone noted the proposed 2.76 mil increase would increase property owners tax bill

as follows:

House Assessed Value Annual Tax Bill Increase

$150,000 $413.00

$250,000 $689.00

$350,000 $965.00

$450,000 $1,241.00

Councilor Saccone continued by explaining in the upcoming fiscal year the State would be

considering the following Bills:

Commercial and Industrial Property Tax.

Taxation on Indian Lands - Councilor Saccone stated Legislative efforts continue to be

discussed that would prevent towns from taxing private companies operating on tribal

lands.

Councilor Saccone provided a recap noting the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in

the amount of $71,062,240 represented a 5.39% increase over the current year’s budget (fy

24/25) and would require a mil increase in the amount of 2.76 mils or a proposed Mill Rate

of 37.97 to support the budget.

Councilor Saccone concluded by stating the Town Council was interested in hearing

residents comments and suggestions regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget

this evening.

Councilor Saccone deferred to School Superintendent Jason Hartling to present the Board of

Education proposed Budget for the upcoming year.

Board of Education

proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget $40,667,242

Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Earl (Ty) Lamb stated on behalf of the

Board of Education Finance Committee and the Board as a whole that he wanted to thank

the individuals who spent a lot of hours on this year’s Budget Process. He stated the

Board of Education began their work in October, which has brought them here to today.

He stated that he would like to thank the parents, the residents, other stakeholders, and

taxpayers for attending the various meetings, noting that their voices were heard. He also

stated that he would like to thank the Board of Education Staff in general, especially

Superintendent Hartling, Finance Director Kenneth Knight, Director of Facilities and

Grounds Wayne Donaldson for his work on the Capital Plan, Administrative Assistant

Anita Cletus, all the School Principals, Directors, and Staff for all working together.

Mr. Lamb went on to state that Town Council Finance Committee Chairman Tony Saccone

reached out to the Board of Education and provided some suggestions, which the Board of

Education was going to discuss and perhaps implement as they go forward to improve the

budget process next year. He stated that he would turn over the Board of Education’s

proposed Budget Presentation to School Superintendent Jason Hartling.

Superintendent Hartling thanked Mr. Lamb and everyone for joining them tonight, both

online and present here at the Ledyard Middle School Auditorium. He stated the Board of

Education’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget was in the amount of $40,667,242. This

was an increase of $2,297,429 or 5.98% over the current Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Budget.

Superintendent Hartling stated before he gets into the actual budget that he wanted to begin

with the School District’s Mission Statement; explaining that the Board of Education

went through a Comprehensive Strategic Planning Process.

· Mission Statement

Ledyard Public Schools provides every child with the experiences, support, and opportunities

necessary for life and success in our diverse and evolving world.

· Strategies

ü Enhancing partnerships within and beyond the schools;

ü Providing opportunities for all students; and

ü Ensuring active and engaged learning.

· District Priorities

Superintendent Hartling reviewed the School District’s Priorities as follows:

· Continuing opportunities for students in alignment with the Strategic Plan;

· Successful launch of the new literacy program (in compliance with the State of CT

mandate) to benefit our students;

· Ongoing professional growth and support of our educators and staff;

· Continue enhancements and evolution of our intervention model;

· Continue to address and ameliorate achievement gaps and the number of students below

basic on the Smarter Balanced Achievement Consortium English Language Arts and the

Math (SBAC).

· Key Budget Changes

Superintendent Hartling provided an overview of Key Changes in the Education Budget as

follows:

· $113,500 Security Enhancements.

· $710,619 Inflationary Adjustments include the following:

ü $68,980 Miscellaneous Adjustments.

ü $77,000 Transportation - Ledyard has the lowest Transportation Contract in the region

ü $44,800 Utilities - Due in part to the Public Benefit Charge - Public Utilities

Regulatory Authority (PURA).

ü $482,569 Special Education - Superintendent Hartling explained that Ledyard’s

Student Services was an ongoing area of challenge, noting that this was a statewide

issue. He stated the costs or outplacement services continues to skyrocket for support

such as Speech, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy. However, he stated the

biggest Special Education driver was transportation. He explained that although

transportation was part of their general role, that special education transportation was

broken out because it needed to be included in their special education total costs. He

also addressed new students or students who have been recently identified for special

education.

· Increased literacy intervention capacity with High Dosage Tutoring.

· 4.0 FTE Paraeducators to support regular and special education programing - This was

actually equivalent to 6 staff personnel, because they do not work a full schedule.

· 3.0 FTE Elementary STEM Teachers & Materials - Mr. Hartling explained that Ledyard

had secured about $1 million dollars in Department of Defense Education Activity

Grants (DODEA), which was a springboard that provided a lot of the curriculum work

and professional learning that the Board of Education was required to do; and has been

doing over the last several years. However, he stated that the DODEA Grants were

sunsetting; and now they would have to continue with that curriculum work and

materials. He noted that he wanted to be explicitly clear, these were all things that they

would have had to do regardless of whether they had received the DODEA Grant

funding. He stated that receiving the DODEA Grant provided a savings for their

taxpayers over the last several years.

· Budget Prioritization/Recommendations

Superintendent Hartling stated as they have in past years, the following budget requests were

prioritized and color coded and he reviewed the following:

Board of Education Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget Recommendations that have been

included in the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget (see attached PowerPoint).

· Per Pupil Expenditure

Superintendent Hartling stated although he did not like to make comparisons that he

wanted to present the chart contained in the attached Powerpoint regarding other towns in

Southeastern Connecticut:

Superintendent Hartling stated that their Teachers, Staff, and every Member of the Team

were working incredibly hard and incredibly efficient to get the gains that they were getting;

noting that they did not have enough funding in Ledyard to do what they needed to do for the

student

profile and based on the academic needs to keep moving forward. He stated that they were

not in a situation where they have a lot of extra cash, noting that the Teams in the schools

were wearing a lot of hats.

Mr. Hartling stated the next lowest Per Pupil expenditure was Groton, who had $846,000

more than Ledyard to support their students.

· Student Enrollment

Superintendent Hartling stated Student Enrollment was projected to stay relatively stable,

noting that this was subject to change. He stated if they put 1,000 more housing units in

town, that may change the enrollment scenario.

Superintendent Hartling went on to explain that they were seeing an ongoing need profile

of about 21% of their students being identified as having a disability, which continues to

have a strain on the system. He stated that this also impacted their ability to deliver

services, noting that this was a statewide trend (se attached PowerPoint).

v Budget Expenditures:

Superintendent Hartling explained that $939,000 of this budget request included increases

related to agreed upon contractual increases for six (6) bargaining units, and non-Union

employees.

· 70.7 % Salary and Wages

· 3% Utilities

· 3.1 Supplies

· 3.79% Special Education

· 7.2% Transportation

· 2.4% Other Purchases Services

· 1.9% Purchases Property Services

· 3.9% Professional Technology

· 2.2% Insurance and Benefits (This does not include Healthcare costs).

v Projected Revenues:

Superintendent Hartling stated that Ledyard had some additional sources of revenue that

were not typical for most communities, such as the revenue they receive for the Agricultural

Science Program and from Impact Aid. He presented the pie chart provided in the attached

PowerPoint showing the breakdown of revenues as follows:

· 63.1% Town Appropriation (Tax Revenue).

· 0.2% Non-Resident Tuition.

· 29.5% Excess Cost Sharing - Superintendent Hartling noted the State pushed through

$40 million for Special Education; which the Governor has signed off on. He noted the

State's formula to address high-cost students with disabilities was confusing. He

explained that the way it worked was that the Town had to spend 4.5 times their per pupil

expenditure and then the State would reimburse the town for the amount over that. He

stated Ledyard’s per pupil expenditure of $17,888 X 4.5= 80,496; noting that they

budget 72%. However, he stated that instead of receiving grant funding based on 72% of

their per pupil cost, they were only receiving grant reimbursement based on about 64% of

their actual costs. He went on to state that this happens statewide; and therefore, the

formula adjustment would only bring them back to where they were from a parity

standpoint. He stated the other piece of this was that Ledyard had less students. He stated

that they work hard to keep their costs down, however, he explained that was part of the

risk relative to Special Education, noting that it was complex and that they worked to

build all associated costs into their Special Education Per Pupil Expenditure. He stated

that State Senator Cathy Osten has been receptive to Ledyard’s concerns relative to that.

He stated had the Legislature not fixed it; that they would have had to look for other

ways to fill that gap within the current fiscal year budget.

· 2.9 % Impact Aid - Superintendent Hartling stated Ledyard has been working to

maximize their Impact Aid by increasing awareness regarding the value of

completing the request forms to identify eligible families.

· 4.3% Agri-Science - Superintendent Hartling noted the State has changed the funding

stream for the Agricultural Science Progrm explaining they removed them from a

Tuition-Based system to relying on State Grant funding. He stated that they were

prohibited from charging anything over 58%; or had to charge 58% less for the

Agri-Science Tuition this fiscal year, noting that the State tried to subsidize the difference

with Grant Funding. He stated that this was going to be an interesting calculus as we

move forward because it was not funded in future years. He stated that the Legislature still

had some work to do because the language was unclear. He stated right now the language

reads that they have to spend any of that extra grant money (about $800,000) on new

spending just for the Agri-Science Program this year; which was not a reasonable

situation. Therefore, he stated that the Legislature was supposedly contemplating a fix for

that language, noting at this point the Board of Education was suggesting that they would

have about $316,000 in Revenues based on educational activities.

Superintendent Hartling stated in response to some questions that he compiled a comparison

of school funding sources for Ledyard and nearby districts. He stated as they have discussed

for many years, Ledyard Public Schools spends less per pupil than surrounding school

districts and ranks among the lowest-funded 10% in the state. The data provided in the

attached PowerPoint outlines the share of school funding covered by local taxpayers versus

state, federal, and other sources.

Ledyard spends and contributes less per student than comparable suburban and rural

districts.

Superintendent Hartling stated as expected, higher-poverty districts like Norwich and New

London received significantly more State and Federal funding as a percentage of their

budget. He stated while these school districts benefit from greater external support, Norwich

taxpayers still contribute more money per student than Ledyard taxpayers, whereas New

London taxpayers cover a much smaller portion per student. He noted that New London was

an anomaly in this area, and that they needed to be careful in their comparison because New

London was a "Magnet School District" with tuition students and supplemental State funding

that skews their data. He stated without the tuition payments from other districts and the

Magnet Grants that New London would most likely mirror Norwich's taxpayer percentage.

Superintendent Hartling went on to state in response to a question on how the Board of

Education’s Budget compared to inflation that he added the ten-year (2016-2026) Graph

to his presentation this evening (see attached PowerPoint).

Superintendent Hartling stated that School Districts do not respond to inflation like our

houses do. He explained because of the length of their contracts that the impact of inflation

can lag behind by two years or so. He noted as an example that the Board of Education had a

multi-year contract when the oil and electric prices spiked, which minimized that impact for

them. However, he stated that those things were now coming to roost, noting that Ledyard

had one of the most competitive Transportation (Bus) Contracts in the region, stating that

they mitigated the 17% - 20% increases that other school districts saw two or three years ago.

He stated last year they had to renew the Transportation Contract which would run for three

years. He stated the same was true for their Labor Contracts, explaining that this year two of

their six bargaining units were in negotiations, and that next year they would be in

negotiations with the Teachers Union, which was their largest bargaining unit.

Superintendent Hartling pointed out that in running the numbers Finance Director Kenneth

Knight found that had Ledyard Public Schools followed inflation their budgets would have

been about $1.9 million higher. He stated that inflation was interesting because when the

Board of Education was below inflation everyone was happy; however, he stated when the

Board of Education’s budget numbers spikes above inflation that people ask why.

Superintendent Hartling went on to address their estimated revenues, noting that the Board of

Education’s revenue numbers were based on the feedback they received from the State of

Connecticut, noting that they expect their revenues from School Related Activities to

increase by about $316,000. However, he explained that the only oddity was how the State

changed the Agri-Science Funding, as he mentioned earlier. He explained that Ledyard High

School’s Agricultural Science Program has been predominantly funded by tuition from the

sending towns. However, he explained that the State has now mandated Ledyard to reduce its

tuition because the State was going to increase Agriscience Operating Grant Funding.

Therefore, he stated that they would see a spike in that operating grant, which would almost

completely offset the decrease in Agri-Science Tuition. Therefore, he noted that there would

be a $352,000 decrease in the Agri-Science Tuition and a $481,000 increase in the

Agri-Science Operating Grant Funding. He explained that all Agri-Science Revenue received

must be spent directly on the Agri-Science Program.

Superintendent Hartling thanked everyone for their time this evening. He stated he hoped

they found the information he provided valuable. He stated that residents could send any

questions to him directly at: jhartling@ledyard.net <mailto:jhartling@ledyard.net>; or to the

Board of Education, noting that they would respond, and any questions that were germane to

the community, they have been putting those on the Board of Education’s website under the

FAQ Tab.

Chairman Rodriguez thanked Councilor Saccone and Superintendent Hartling for their

presentations.

VI.

RESIDENT & PROPERTY OWNERS (COMMENTS LIMITED TO THREE (3)

MINUTES

Chairman Rodriguez opened the floor to Public Comment, and she asked that residents come

up to the podium and state their name and address for the record.

Mr. Mike Cherry, 5 Whippoorwill Drive, Gales Ferry, thanked the Board of Education, the

Town Council, Mayor Allyn, III, and Superintendent Hartling for their work in preparing and

presenting the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget. He stated that he was not an

educator or a real estate agent; and therefore, he had to assume they all put their best foot

forward with the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget; and that he believed the numbers

they provided were correct. However, he stated that he had the following questions:

· Mil Rate Stabilization Fund - Mr. Cherry stated that he did not agree with using

$1,304,675 from the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund to reduce the mil rate increase. He

stated that there were many unknowns going into next year, including the 2025

Revaluation. He stated that his experience after living in Ledyard for 40 years, with

multiple Revaluations, that the people who lived in the Highlands, or Christy Hill would

always see a larger delta increase in their taxes than those who lived in Pheasant Run. He

stated three homes in that neighborhood have sold for more than $500,000, noting that

there no longer seemed to be a ceiling in the real estate market. He stated that he would

never have thought that the first house his parents bought for $12,000 many years ago

would someday sell $500,000. Therefore, he stated that the Town should hold off on

using the Mil Rate

Stabilization Fund in the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget, noting that he realized by not

using the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund that the mil rate would increase by 3.76 mils

instead of the 2.7 mil increase that was being presented this evening.

· In-Kind Expenses - Mr. Cherry noted at the Town Council’s April 9, 2025 meeting that

Mr. Murray questioned: (1) How Ledyard formatted their budget; and (2) Recording the

Board of Education expenses that currently reside on the General Government side of the

budget ledger. Mr. Cherry stated that he looked at the In-Kind Expenses and that he

agreed with Mr. Murray’s comments. He stated that recording the expenses for the Board

of Education’s In-Kind Expenses on the education side of the budget ledger was only an

accounting move, explaining that the town was still going to pay for those expenses.

However, he stated by recording those expenses on the education side of budget ledger

that it would give residents more visibility.

Mr. Cherry stated in looking at the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) that one of

the Municipal Fiscal Indicators was the real estate market. He stated when people look at

the town’s mil rate; that they should also look at the prices of homes in Ledyard, which

have increased by 60%.

· Per Pupil Expenditure Comparison - Mr. Cherry commented on the comparison

between the Town of East Lyme ($23,234) and Ledyard ($17,880), noting that the dela

was $5,354. He stated that Ledyard had 2,314 Students and if they increased their per

pupil expenditure by $5,354 that they would be looking at another $12,389,156; and he

stated that it was never going to happen in Ledyard.

· Budget Presentations- Mr. Cherry stated that the Reports were great, easy to read, and

made sense. He stated the Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red Lists in the Board of

Education’s presentation showed that they were making hard decisions. He stated that

they would all like to have more interventionists; and more pre-k transition people.

· Mil Rate Increase per Household - Mr. Cherry noted that during the General

Government’s Budget Presentation that Councilor Saccone provided an example of what

the projected 2.76 mil increase would cost taxpayers. He stated that he agreed that a

four-bedroom home would see a $50.00 per month increase in their property tax.

However, he stated the way they were seeing the housing market increase that it appeared

that people like to live in Ledyard, and therefore, he thought that an additional $50.00 per

month was worth it. He stated in looking at the equalized mil rate, which was based on

the housing market, that Ledyard was lagging behind by a couple of years.

· ALICE Report - (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) - Mr. Cherry stated

according to the ALICE Report Ledyard’s Median Income was about $98,000 for a

family of four ( 2 adults, one infant, one preschooler). He stated that based on the United

Way of Southeastern Connecticut Report that a family of four need to be earning

$100,000 a year. Therefore, he stated that more than half of Ledyard’s residents were in

trouble if they get a flat tire, or the washing machine, r refrigerator breaks noting that

something was not going to get done. He stated that kids were not going to get shoes, and

they would be eating oatmeal instead of bacon and eggs.

· Tax Structure - Mr. Cherry stated that Ledyard needed to figure out how to change their

Tax Structure. He noted that only 5% of our taxes come from Commercial, Retail, and

Industrial Properties, noting that the challenge was how do they increase that. He stated

after the 2025 Revaluation they would also find that not only would the value of median

priced homes appreciate more than the higher priced homes, but that the Industrial, Retail

Commercial numbers would decrease. He stated that this was going to create another

problem for them next year.

Mr. Cherry concluded his comments by stating for all of these reasons he was not

in-favor of using the Mil Rate Stabilization Fund in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025/2026

Budget. Thank you.

Mrs. Mary McGrattan, 7 Lynn Drive, Ledyard, addressed the expenses listed in the Yellow

Box in the Board of Education’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget and she questioned

“Attendance Home Visitors - Full-Time Employees”. Superintendent Hartling explained that

Ledyard has recovered well from an attendance standpoint, stating that this was for adults to

visit the homes of students who were missing a significant number of days of school to

collaborate with the families to figure out how to support getting their children back to

school. He stated if the children were not in school they cannot learn. He went on to explain

that the State has supported this program.

Chairman Rodriguez thanked the residents for their comments.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

Chairman Rodriguez noted the upcoming dates for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget:

Annual Town Meeting - Monday, May 19, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Referendum - Tuesday, May 20, 2025- 6:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.

Hearing no additional public comments, Chairman Rodriguez adjourned the public hearing at

8:01 p.m.

Chairman Rodriguez thanked everyone for attending tonight’s Public Hearing.

_____________________________________

Transcribed by Roxanne M. Maher

Administrative Assistant to the Town Council

I, S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman of the Ledyard Town Council,

hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true and

correct copy of the minutes of the Public Hearing

Meeting held on April 21, 2025.

____________________________________

S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman

DISCLAIMER:

Although we try to be timely and accurate these are not official records of the Town.

The Town Council's Official Agenda and final Minutes will be on file in the Town Clerk's

Office.