By Andy Brophy

WESTPORT–Town finances were in the black for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The Board of Finance on Monday night reviewed how actual revenues and expenditures in the 2025-26 fiscal year compared to what had been budgeted.

“Most departments came in under budget,” Gary Conrad, the town’s finance director, said during the finance board’s Zoom meeting.

The Department of Public Works, in particular, spent $707,294 under its $15.7 million budget. The savings was mostly due to lower staffing, reduced road maintenance and lower tipping and hauling fees, according to finance documents.

Overall, town departments spent $595,000 less than budgeted; property taxes came in $1 million higher than projected; and revenue from state grants, Parks and Recreation Department programs, and licenses and permits exceeded expectations, Conrad said.

The town’s tax collection rate was 99.16 percent, among the highest in the state. Finance documents show the town is projected to receive $218.3 million from property taxes in 2025-26 while the actual number was $219.3 million. Conrad said more tax revenue should come in because Aug. 31 is the last day to record past due taxes in the prior fiscal year.

The town had projected to receive $1.3 million in state grants, which included grants for Educational Cost Sharing, PILOT and the Fire Department, but actually received $1.59 million.

And the town projected to receive $7.36 million from Parks and Recreation Department programs, but actually received $7.62 million, mostly due to higher greens’ fees, cart rentals and parking passes.

Revenue from licenses and permits was projected at $6.31 million, but the actual figure was $6.58 million, mostly due to favorable conveyance and conservation fees.

And the town delayed issuing debt on five capital projects that had slowed down, leading to a savings of $518,820, according to finance documents.

Not all was favorable with the town’s 2025-26 budget, however.

The town expected to receive $3.86 million in interest from its investments, but the actual amount was $2.35 million, a shortfall of $1.5 million, according to finance documents.

The Police Department’s expenses in 2025-26 were $243,337 over its $11.8 million budget, mostly due to overtime, fixed traffic posts not eligible to be paid by outside vendors, and replacement overtime needed for officers in training or on vacation, according to finance documents.

And while revenue from Parks and Recreation Department programs exceeded expectations, so did the department’s expenses. The department’s budget in 2025-26 was $9.18 million while its expenses were $9.2 million, a difference of $84,651. The overage was largely due to higher beach and pool expenses and overtime, according to finance documents.

Danielle Dobin, chairwoman of the Board of Finance, said Wednesday she was pleased the growth of operating budgets on the town-side of the budget remains low and was seeking similar restraint on the Board of Education side of the budget.

“Sustainable budgeting demands us to make hard choices,” she said, adding that enrollment in town schools had been declining.

The school board’s operating budget in 2025-26 was $150.4 million, an increase of 4.7 percent over its $143.6 million operating budget in 2024-25.

This fiscal year, the school board’s operating budget was approved at $157.9 million, a nearly 5 percent increase from 2025-26, according to school officials.

Some big-ticket expenditures in the school board’s budget, such as contractual salary increases and health care for school district employees, are not within the Board of Finance’s control, Dobin said.

Elio Longo, chief financial officer for the school district, said Wednesday that the school board ended the 2025-26 fiscal year with an estimated $410,993 of essentially surplus money. He said he’s asked the Board of Finance and First Selectman Kevin Christie to have that money deposited in a non-elapsing carry-over account.

This account was created so the school board could address unforeseen emergency expenses, mostly related to security and facilities, in a given fiscal year, Longo said. He said it would have $995,623 if his request is approved.

Meanwhile, the town’s rainy day fund is 11.26 percent of its budget, slightly above the 9 percent to 11 percent preferred by bond rating agencies.

The finance board also discussed the town’s capital request list, which identifies upcoming large construction projects that are financed by issuing debt.

Elaine Whitney, a finance board member, said it’s up to the first selectman to prioritize the list and that finance members were interested in the form in which the list is presented and not its substance. “Substance is obviously the first selectman’s prerogative,” she said.

But Dobin said, “He’s very open to collaboration and cooperation from the board.” She said the capital forecast is usually presented to the board in October.

The board also discussed receiving quarterly or semi-annual updates on capital projects that had either just ended or were ongoing.

Board members said they didn’t want to micromanage projects but thought it would be beneficial to see the financial status of completed projects to determine if they’d been completed on time and on budget and whether the projects’ contingency accounts had been used.

Dobin said the board would also learn whether some vendors routinely dipped into the contingency fund.

Finance board members also talked about “office hours” during which members of the public can meet with board members.

Such meetings were sparsely attended by the public in the past, and Whitney thought semi-annual meetings might be appropriate. “I definitely agree that twice-a-month or monthly is more than the demand,” she said.

Board member Allyson Stollenwerck said, “If we’re going to do quarterly, we have to commit to letting people know about it.”

But future meetings with constituents may not be held in conference rooms at the library.

Dobin said setting up a table in the library’s cafe might create more interest and be easier to find.

Lastly, Dobin said a “robust discussion” on whether the town should install speed cameras was needed before a study is financed. “The buy-in for speed cameras is important,” she said, referencing the experience with speed cameras in neighboring Fairfield. “It’s the first element before spending any money on a study.”

Andy Brophy

Andy Brophy is an experienced Fairfield County journalist. Andy was a staff writer at The Connecticut Post for 10 years. He also wrote for the Norwalk Hour, Fairfield Minuteman, Fairfield Patch and weekly newspapers in Westport, Fairfield and Norwalk. When not reporting, Andy enjoys playing chess and listening to pianist Art Tatum. ^_.