May 2014 North Central News

Page 8

May2014NCN_NCN new template 4/27/14 7:41 PM Page 8

Town Voters Will Decide Fate of Proposed Budget

Ellington

By Linda Tishler Levinson

ELLINGTON — A referendum on the proposed budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year will be held on May 20. The proposed $51,577,732 budget has been approved by the Board of Finance, which set an Annual Town Meeting date of May 13. The Board of Selectmen voted to send the final budget proposal to referendum. The proposed budget would bring an increase of $1,291,977 or 2.5 percent over the current spending plan. “It’s a modest increase, particularly in light of what’s going on in the world around us,â€? First Selectman Maurice Blanchette said. “It’s in line with reality ‌ It will do the things that we need to do.â€? He added it does not include a lot of “extras.â€? The budget includes $35,441,900 for the Board of Education, which includes

$97,720 for capital outlay and $1,268,382 for debt. It also includes a general government budget of $16,135,832, which includes $1,317,372 for capital outlay, $1,164,834 for debt and a contingency fund of $200,000. The school budget carries an increase of $807,384 or 2.33 percent. The general government side carries an increase of $484,193 or 3.09 percent. The projected mill rate would increase from the current 28.4 mills to 28.7 mills. A mill represents $1 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Under the proposed budget, taxes on a house assessed at $200,000 would rise $60 a year. The Annual Town Meeting will be held at 8 p.m. May 13 in the Ellington High School auditorium. The budget referendum will be held from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 20 at the high school.

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Youth Survey Results Termed Encouraging

ELLINGTON - Results from the 2013 Ellington Youth Culture survey have been released and the results are encouraging. The survey, completed in partnership with the schools, was administered last May to students in grades 6 through 12. The survey is done every four years and asks about use of several substances, particularly alcohol. The survey results show 30 use day rates for alcohol in high school students dropped 10 percent since 2009. Substance use went down across the board from the 2009 survey with alcohol having the largest drop. For the last eight years, Ellington has been a grantee for two Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) grants for the prevention of underage drinking. This past year, additional funding was awarded to address prescription drug misuse and the town sponsored a prescription drug take back day in January and will sponsor another one June 7 in collaboration with the Ellington Resident State Troopers’ Office. The DMHAS grant funding ends June 30 of this year and members of the coalition for the grant, the DPYC (Developing Positive Youth Culture), are seeking other grants to help build on the success. The DPYC has been in existence for over 15 years and has sponsored various initiatives to address underage drinking in youth and encourage positive choices.

8 North Central News May 2014

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Formerly DAPC (Drug Abuse Prevention Council), the council changed its logo and mission to reflect the positive culture it had been supporting all along. The coalition still provides support for the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse in town. The DPYC sponsors the youth leadership group, Rise Above, whose members are high school students in Ellington. The group performs community service throughout the town and also sponsors several activities for their peers. Director of Youth Services and chairperson for the DPYC, Diane LasherPenti, is pleased with the results and hopes to continue the work of keeping the numbers low. “I would like to thank members of the DPYC, police, schools, parents and community for their hard work and commitment to developing a positive youth culture for our youth,� said Lasher-Penti. Prevention Coordinator Deborah Stauffer is also pleased with the results of the survey; however, she maintains a guarded optimism about the future. “Underage drinking is a continuous issue in Ellington and nationally and has to be addressed indefinitely,� Stauffer said. “I am very pleased the new data shows a decrease in 30 day use. This tells us our messages are being heard. We have put a lot of effort into our campaigns and cannot stop, even when the money runs out.�

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