The Barrington Committee on Appropriations is recommending "no material changes" to the proposed budgets this year.

Appropriations chairman Richard Staples said his committee met Wednesday night, April 11 and voted unanimously to keep the proposed budgets unchanged. The budgets will be presented to taxpayers at next month's financial town meeting.

The school department is proposing a 3 percent increase to its operating budget, while the town manager's budget calls for a 2.55 percent increase.

Meanwhile, the capital improvement budget is proposing a 17.14 percent increase and the debt service portion of the budget is projecting an 8.75 percent increase.

Mr. Staples said his committee is recommending a total budget increase of 3.6 percent. 

"Personally, I feel good about it," Mr. Staples said. "I think we're going to end up with a reasonable increase for the town and a reasonable increase for the schools."

Members of the committee on appropriations spent months reviewing the proposed budgets and met with officials from the municipal government and school department. Mr. Staples said he was pleased when school officials recently reduced their proposed operating budget by nearly $211,000.

The school department went out to bid with the town and was able to secure a smaller rate increase than had been expected had the district not collaborated. The insurer, The Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust, offered a health insurance renewal rate that resulted in a 1.3 percent increase. District officials had initially anticipated an increase of 6 percent.

Mr. Staples said municipal government officials have not yet made a determination about their health care costs. He added that the school department could possibly realize some additional savings when they finalize a transportation study. 

"The numbers are still a little bit fluid," Mr. Staples said.

The committee on appropriations endorsed the $6 million bond being proposed by Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha.

The $6 million would address two main needs — $2.5 million would be used for Peck Center (public library building) renovations and improvements; $3.5 million would be dedicated to a road resurfacing project in Barrington. According to Mr. Cunha, the $2.5 million for the Peck Center would be divided into three areas: $1.3 million for roof replacement; $800,000 for senior center improvements; and $400,000 for renovations to the TAP-IN space and Friends of Barrington Public Library space.

Mr. Staples said he and two other members of the committee on appropriations toured the Peck Center building on Monday night.

"We were up on the top floor of the library and there were actually waste baskets and recycle bins catching the rain coming in," he said. 

Asked whether the committee considered carving out the road resurfacing portion of the bond and pushing it to next year, Mr. Staples said he was concerned with rising interest rates next year and the costs associated with issuing two bonds instead of one. 

As for COA's decision to stop short of making any changes to the proposed budgets, Mr. Staples said: "Both the town and the schools took the reviews to heart. They were deliberative in the process. And I think the COA was very deliberative in the process as well.

"We felt comfortable with what had been put together for us."

This year's financial town meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at Barrington High School.