The best opportunity for residents to weigh in on New Britain government spending will be today at 7 p.m. at the Louis P. Slade Middle School when the Common Council conducts a hearing before setting the budget for the year that begins on July 1.
The Common Council's annual hearing on the municipal budget comes amid concerns over layoffs to the city’s work force, school funding and the O’Brien administration’s efforts to end one-time fixes utilized by prior administrations to hold the line on the mill rate.
Of particular concern are proposed cuts that deal a severe blow to the public library and the impact more than 100 layoffs would have on the delivery of municipal services.
At issue is whether the city can deliver essential and needed services and still maintain the mill rate at current levels.
While the mill rate gets the most attention property revaluation -- scheduled for 2013 in New Britain -- generally has more of an impact on whether tax bill rise or fall for property owners.
Slade Middle School is located at 183 Steele Street. For information on the budget and city finances go to
The city finance page includes proposed budget information.
