BERLIN– Elected officials are expected to begin discussing ways to spend the town’s casino revenue next week.
On Monday, the town will host a work session to discuss development of a multi-year plan for the use of casino revenues. While discussion will take place, Mayor Zack Tyndall said this week the actual spending plan would need to be developed during the budget process, once the town had projections for revenues and expenditures for the coming year.
“The goal would be before the end of this fiscal year to have a multi-year plan,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said.
On Feb. 13, town officials agreed to enroll in the Law Enforcement Officers Pension System (LEOPS). They did not, however, determine what portion of the town’s annual local impact grant—casino revenues—would be used to cover the more than $300,000 annual expense. At the Feb. 13 meeting, Councilman Jay Knerr said he wanted the town to enroll in LEOPS but didn’t want to use casino revenue to fund the program forever. He suggested decreasing the amount of casino revenue used for the annual expense gradually over three years. He said LEOPS should be a general fund expense like payroll. Then casino revenue—which up until now was used to pay off the cost of the town’s new police station—could be used for a variety of projects throughout town. Projections show the town receiving more than $418,000 in casino revenue in fiscal year 2024, $458,284 in fiscal year 2025 and $502,279 in fiscal year 2026.
Potential uses for the funding that were brought up at that meeting included LEOPS, a community center, capital improvements, infrastructure upgrades, capital reserve funding for fire and EMS, automated external defibrillators, radios and GIS.
Maybe Berlin should consider lowering property taxes if they have excess money they don’t know what to do with.
Rainy day fund. As Berlin continues to revitalization efforts – unexpected expenses will crop up. Rainy day fund PREVENTS additional tax dollars for paying for the unexpected.
Yet everytime there is a revenue stream a meeting is made on how to immediately spend it. Short term thinking and eventual need more money from constitutes. I.E., TAXES. BOOOOOO
Bike Lanes & Turn-abouts ??? Like D’Bury !!!!!
Sounds like a lot more radar units and “patrols” targeting the latest scare issue, like people tuning their radio or eating a Big Mac while driving. THAT has got to be at LEAST a $200 fine.
The police are already holding brain-storming (now, THAT’S funny!) sessions on what they can come up with to show everyone how concerned they are for our safety and how aggressive they will have to be to make sure we don’t hurt ourselves. With, of course, the ever-needed fines.
I feel sorry for those residents and even sorrier for the thousands of tourists who will be paying millions in fines for whatever the police can dream up as the next “crisis” needing their armed attention.
Dressing up in costumes like farmers plowing the field or perched up in bucket trucks looking like telephone linemen. I can’t wait for their gay burlesque shows.
ANYTHING for MORE MONEY.
Good luck Berlin. You’re going to need it.
That, and MORE MONEY. Maybe a second job or something.
Keep cheering.
More RADAR & LASER !!!!!! Then DRONES are NEXT !!!!!!
More Bucket Trucks !!!!!