BERLIN – Mayor Zack Tyndall vetoed the town’s $6.8 million budget in response to amendments made to the spending plan by the town council.
Tyndall on Friday vetoed Berlin’s fiscal year 2022 budget, citing the changes made by the Berlin Town Council last month. He’s hopeful that before any vote to override his veto, council members will consider closely what the changes they made will mean for the town’s financial future.
“I don’t think they understand the impact of some of the decisions they made,” he said.
On May 24, the council voted unanimously to amend the mayor’s proposed budget to include a 1.5% raise for employees, to reinstate cell phone allowances and to work vehicle allowances currently provided to three employees into their salaries. On Friday, Tyndall vetoed that budget with an eight-page missive released on the town’s website. In it, Tyndall advocated for items he’d included in the budget, including $2,500 for laptops for the mayor’s office, funding for a GIS (geographic information system) for the utility departments, $16,500 in funding for a strategic plan and $27,500 for a community center feasibility study. Tyndall wrote that the feasibility study would be critical to replacing the multi-purpose building on Flower Street.
“For over 20 years, a new community center has been discussed and promised to the Berlin community,” Tyndall wrote. “Year after year, the discussions begin and end with the mantra ‘it can wait until next year.’ To better position the Town of Berlin for state and grant funding, it is imperative that we have an up-to-date feasibility study and an understanding of our community’s needs.”