Coronavirus Update- Budget Update, Tax Relief Plan, CT vs NYS & Case Data
April 21st – At tonight’s Board of Finance meeting, the members voted to ask the Boards of Selectmen and Education to provide 4 revised FY2021 budget proposals as follows:
- Flat to FY2020 budget
- 2% less than the FY2020 budget
- 5% less than the FY2020 budget
- 10% less than the FY2020 budget
The 10% reduction reflects concerns about the ability to finance any significant shortfall in tax receipts due to nonpayment.
The Board of Selectmen met this evening, but did not discuss revised budgets. Four revised budgets will be presented and discussed at our May 4th regular meeting. Tonight, as required in the Governor’s Executive Order 7S, the Board of Selectmen voted to offer a tax relief deferment plan to qualified taxpayers. Information will soon be available on the town website and linked in a future update. The Board of Education is meeting this Thursday evening.
Today a resident wrote asking about NYS’s case growth versus CT’s, with the observation that NYS’s growth has slowed, while CT’s has not and did I know why. First, a couple of key data points:
- The virus spread much more quickly and more widely in NYS and the NYC suburbs than it did in CT and Fairfield County.
- Having watched the rapid growth in NYS, we were much quicker to take measures to reduce the spread. For example, Wilton and New Rochelle closed the schools on the same day, despite New Rochelle having their first case 6 days earlier than Wilton and having already brought in the State National Guard.
- Westchester County has 2,545 cases per 100,000 residents, Fairfield County has 881 cases per 100,000 residents Westchester County has 93 deaths per 100,000 residents, Fairfield County has 54 per 100,000 residents.
NYS’s growth is slowing, but from a growth rate faster than CT's. The goals of the measures taken were to slow down the spread and not to overburden the healthcare system. We are doing that, as evidenced by our numbers versus NYS's. One more reason to continue to behave as if you have the virus and as if those around you do also.
Today, CT DPH reports 20,360 laboratory-confirmed statewide cases with 8,472 or 42% in Fairfield County and 119 in Wilton. Approximately 2.5% of total reported cases have not yet been assigned to a municipality. Today’s test positive rate remained at 27%. Currently 1.8% of the State’s population has been tested. Deaths rose by 92 to 1,423 with Fairfield County at 544. The number of patients currently hospitalized increased by 30 to 1,949 with an increase of 2 in Fairfield County to 735.
Tonight, the Governor issued Executive Order 7CC, which include nine areas, which I will discuss tomorrow night.
As always, if you have any questions, please email the appropriate town department or me at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org.
Thank you,
Lynne Vanderslice
First Selectwoman
What should you do to stop the spread?
- Stay home.
- Maintain a distance of 6 feet between you and another person. This standard applies whether inside or outside.
- Wear a mask when in public.
- Respect the Governor’s prohibition on social or recreational gatherings of more than 5 people, including leisure gatherings.
- Consolidate your shopping and errands to minimize the numbers of days you must leave your home. If the store parking lot is more than half full, return home and shop at another time.
- Take advantage of the delivery options offered by many Wilton businesses.
- Practice your team sport on your own, not with your teammates. The internet is full of videos and suggestions on how to do this.
- Do walk outside. If your street is walkable, please consider walking there rather than a public trail. When the NRVT parking lot, or that of another trail, is more than 50% full, please find another place to walk. There are 127 miles of town-owned roads, more than 80 private roads and more than 3 miles of sidewalk on state-owned roads.
- Please respect the town’s closure of fields and recreation facilities.
Visual of Connecticut Cases by Town