The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Monday night cruised through its agenda in what appeared to be an effortless manner until it hit a roadblock called Sunny Lane.

After approving the town budget of $168,735,658, Mahackeno cast its shadow over events of the evening. Two agenda items dealing with the discontinuance of the "undeveloped easterly leg of the 25-foot private roadway known as Sunny Lane" in accordance with state statutes confronted RTM members.

The second agenda item made the same request for the "westerly leg of the 25-foot private roadway easterly to its terminus at or near the Saugatuck River."

Of the total $168,735,658, the selectman's total is $59,572,395 and the Board of the Education share is $109,163,263.

Although the budget passed unanimously at the meeting, several adjustments are required before determining the tax increase and mill rate for the 2008-9 fiscal year.

The Board of Finance is expected to set the mill rate when it meets Wednesday, May 21, at Westport Town Hall.

Rea's Way

"There are non-budgeted expenditures estimated at $950,000 consisting of pending litigation settlements and other unexpected items," said Michael Rea, the chairman of the RTM Finance Committee, in

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explaining the adjustments before the determining the tax increase.

"These will be somewhat offset by an estimated $500,000 in turn backs from the current fiscal year."

Rea explained that the amount is reduced by $21,702,665 in non-tax revenue items such as state grants, user fees, education revenues, collection of prior years' taxes and investment income.

"It also includes an anticipated transfer of $3 million from the General Fund, leaving an estimated adjusted amount of $147,482,993," he said.

"As an aside, after this transfer, the General Fund undesignated fund balance will be about $12.4 million, or 7.36 percent of the total budget. Since this remains between 5 and 10 percent -- a level viewed favorably by the credit agencies -- this should assure the continuation of the town's favorable AAA bond rating."

"It is a budget that demonstrates a fiscal restraint with a conscience," said First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff, prior to the RTM vote on the new budget.

He noted that since the start of the budget process, the economy has worsened in many places.

Joseloff cited the new Parks and Recreation reservation system as an example of "technology devised to provide improved services on the resident's time and not the town's."

Board of Finance Chairman Jeff Mayer said the Board of Education worked harder than any he was aware of before.

Internal Audits

Mayer emphasized that budget preparation is not a rubber stamp process. "I'm very proud of the work of the Board of Finance," he said. "For the first time the budget includes funds for an internal audit function -- something we have been looking at for years."

A total of $250,000 was cut from the Board of Education budget during the five-month process that went into its preparation. And, the Parks and Recreation budget was reduced by $4,500 in the town budget.

Many of those speaking at the RTM meeting praised the late Don Miklus, the finance director, for his dedicated service to the town and said that the staff he had assembled stepped up to the budget preparation task.

Sunny Lane

The pair of Sunny Lane agenda items took up more of the meeting time than the other matters before the RTM.

Addressing those in the audience who thought it was another YMCA story that involved Mahackeno, Assistant Town Attorney Gail Kelly said, "This should not be a referendum of the Y." This was a reference to the protracted battle in Westport over the proposal to construct a new YMCA at the organization's Mahackeno property.

"We have no jurisdiction over title to the property. You [addressing the RTM members] are not the arbiters of who owns the property."

However, it was clear some RTM members did not agree with Kelly's assessment and RTM debated on the pair of Sunny Lane agenda items until Rea suggested a delay so the Planning and Zoning Commission could look at them.

His proposal was also debated. "I want to do justice to the process," he said. After further discussion, a vote on Rea's proposal was taken and failed to carry. Then there was further debate and exchange of viewpoints.

About three hours after the meeting started, the RTM approved the delay until a meeting later in May by a vote of 32 to 0, with Dick Lowenstein of District 5 abstaining.

Earlier, Lowenstein said during the discussion, "I can't believe we are going down this road again."

He also suggested that the two agenda items not go to a RTM committee but that a "committee of the whole" be formed. This is a technique in which the entire membership of a legislative body, sits in a deliberative rather than a legislative capacity, for informal debate and preliminary consideration of matters awaiting legislative action.

Later, RTM Moderator Hadley Rose said such a committee might be used when the RTM meets again on the Sunny Lane items.