In 2013, gas cost about $3.60 per gallon, a dozen eggs cost about $2, and the combined school and municipal budgets in Barrington totaled $59.3 million. 

Eleven years later, gas is about $3.50 per gallon, a dozen eggs costs $3, and the combined school and municipal budgets in Barrington total $95.8 million.

In a little more than a decade, Barrington’s budget has grown by $36.4 million — that is more than one-third of the budget in the last 11 years. 

The increased budgetary spending was all but ignored at the Barrington Financial Town Meeting on Wednesday night, May 22. 

After approving a new housing development on Watson Avenue and a $5 million bond for improved athletic fields, more than half of the taxpayers at the FTM walked out of the BHS gymnasium, seemingly unconcerned with the 4.92 percent spending increase included in this year’s school and municipal budgets. 

In fact, Barrington Town Council President Carl Kustell had to plead with residents to stick around for the remaining budget votes. 

School budget

The school operating budget will increase nearly 5 percent, jumping from $62.49 million this year to $65.59 million next year.

Much of the $3.1 million increase is tied to contractual obligations, “including staffing additions made in the past fiscal year that had not been budgeted of $208,979 and a net of $210,577 for two new FTE’s,” stated information shared at the FTM.

There is no change to the school department capital budget — the district will again have a capital budget of $388,595. “Included in the request are $153,608 for BMS/BHS one-to-one devices, $95,108 (for) devices for HMS, and $72,876 for staff Apple devices and cases.”

During an earlier interview with the Barrington Times, Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said that a significant portion of the $3.1 million increase will cover additional special education needs: special education staffing additions, contracted nursing services, tuition to private sources, and tuition to out of state education service agencies. Those four items represent an increase of $1.1 million.

Municipal budget

The municipal government operating budget will increase by 4.78 percent — from $20.9 million this year to $21.9 million next year.  

The town will add three full-time positions. There will be an IT coordinator, an assistant superintendent for the Department of Public Works, and an additional laborer at the DPW.

According to an earlier memo from Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, the new DPW assistant superintendent would have a salary of $95,000, and benefits totaling more than $35,000. 

“The assistant superintendent will take on responsibilities for the overall operation of DPW,” Hervey wrote, “including a more direct focus on management of the sewer division. This will free up the Public Works Superintendent to provide greater oversight of a crew of approximately eight workers that will primarily be responsible for field maintenance, and completion of field upgrades that can be done in-house.”

The additional laborer will push the total number of workers at the DPW to 30, which is the same size work force the department had in the early 2000s when it handled all the daily refuse and recycling collection in town. In 2010, the town privatized trash and recycling pickup and reduced the DPW workforce from 30 union workers to 22. In the last 14 years, the town has steadily increased the number of workers at the DPW.

The municipal budget includes $1,299,589 for the annual contract with Mega Disposal, which handles the trash and recycling collection in Barrington.

The IT coordinator position includes a budgeted salary of $90,000. 

The town’s capital budget will increase by 2.58 percent, moving from $1.65 million this year to $1.69 million next year. “Notable purchases were $430,000 for DPW equipment replacement, public safety building improvements $257,500, $250,000 for fire apparatus replacement, police equipment replacement of $25,500, and a reduction for fire equipment replacement of $170,000.”