Norwalk council raises budget cap, urges more school funding

The Norwalk City Council on April 28 voted to raise the citys fiscal-year maximum appropriation to $479,486,926 and urged the Board of Estimate and Taxation to direct the additional capacity toward the Board of Education.

Council President Josh Goldstein moved the amendment under City Charter section 10-7(b), saying the councils earlier unanimous February vote to seek a 4.9% increase for the schools should guide the next step. Goldstein told the council the raised cap would allow the school system to avoid cuts to student-facing positions and preserve services.

In public comment before the vote, resident Nasish Jankowski urged the council to fund the Board of Education at “at the minimum of the 4.9%” approved in February and said the boards requested 6.5% represented the districts needs. Jankowski noted 31 written comments were submitted to the BET, 27 in support of the education budget.

Council members participating in the debate described a difficult trade-off between raising revenue and protecting city services including police, fire, parks and public works. Several members said they backed the amended cap as a compromise that would deliver a 4.5% increase for the schools at the new limit while preserving core city functions.

The motion to amend the maximum limit on total appropriations passed and will be forwarded to the Board of Estimate and Taxation for action, per the city charter.

Why it matters: Council members framed the move as a way to preserve student-facing staff and avoid deeper cuts to school services while acknowledging tax and cost pressures facing residents. The change does not itself appropriate new dollars to schools; BET action and the final adopted budget will determine final allotments.

Details and next steps: The resolution cites City Charter section 10-7(b) as the authority to amend the maximum limit on total appropriations; the council voted to forward the results to the BET. The BET is scheduled to consider the matter at its next meeting, and the council has urged that any additional room created by the new cap be dedicated to Board of Education funding.