The town’s proposed budget shows a $210,900 decrease from last year.

WILTON – If passed by voters in June, taxpayers will see a $210,900 decrease in the municipal budget this year.

The town Finance Committee met with selectmen Monday to make any final changes to the proposed budget before passing it along to voters in June.

The total to be raised by taxation for the 2004-05 fiscal year under the proposed budget will be $831,866. That will result in a tax rate of $20.20, the lowest in nine years.

The budget shows 2 percent pay raises across the board.

Officials agreed to decrease the selectmen’s pay from $1,800 a piece to $1,710.

At their last selectmen’s meeting officials decided to cut two positions from the summer highway budget, leaving nine highway employees. They also decided not to buy a truck for the town after receiving bids at around $100,000.

The Police Department budget includes $10,000 for its vehicle purchase reserve account. That is a decrease of $13,310 over last year for that line item. Police Chief James Parker said they will skip a year in purchasing a vehicle to keep the budget down.

Finance Committee member Mike Sherrod said he thinks more sand should not be purchased because the town has a three-year stockpile. The committee agreed to cut the sand account in half, amounting to $9,000.

“It’s not a fat year for Wilton, and I think we need to whittle away where we can,” Sherrod said.

LifeStar Ambulance is asking the town to pay $58,957 for services. Last year the town paid $37,968. Town Manager Peter Nielsen said that amount is expected to increase to $72,817 next year, dropping to $66,682 the following year.

Franklin Memorial Hospital Finance Department Representative Matt Flynn said the town should have paid about $49,000 last year, but there was a billing error. He said the service does not intend to ask the town to make up that amount.

The $20,000 police and fire equipment budget was increased by $1,180 to cover the cost of confined space rescue equipment. Fire Chief Sonny Dunham said the total cost of the basic equipment is about $5,000, with the rest of the money coming from the sewer department, since they will use it more for entering manholes.

Annual elections will take place June 8. The annual town meeting will reconvene at Academy Hill School at 6:30 p.m. June 14.

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