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Finance board recommends $93.5M budget
Thursday, April 8, 2021
BRASS CITY TILE DESIGNS
Berlin-Peck Memorial Library and the Berlin Land Trust are teaming up to “Help Your Yard Get A Little Wilder.”
By Nadya Korytnikova The Citizen
The Board of Finance laid out a $93.5 million budget recommendation for fiscal year 2022 recently. The proposal calls for a 2.7% total increase from the $91.5 million FY 2021 budget, according to Town Manager Arosha Jayawickrema, who presented the draft budget during a Wednesday, March 31 meeting. For the upcoming fiscal year, the town’s 33.93 mill rate would remain unchanged. The budget draft keeps the mill rate flat by using funds from the $2.02 million received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The largest increase in the budget is in salary and benefits. The town requested an additional $447,000 to cover health insurance costs, new position wages, and a net increase in existing wages. The budget also calls for a $78,000 increase to cover electricity costs, and an additional $54,000 for trash recycling fees. Another $387,000 will go towards other expenses, including operating materials, irrigation at Timberlin Golf Course, economic development promotion, computer equipment, and school safety guards. Jayawickrema said the town is not planning any new borrowing in the upcoming fiscal year. See Budget, A25
‘Wild’ webinar planned
Berlin welcomed a new business to town in March, Brass City Tile Designs, located at 33 Webster Square Road. Photos by Nadya Korytnikova
Family-run business expands into Berlin By Nadya Korytnikova The Citizen
A new tile shop opened in Berlin just in time for those looking to spruce up their homes for spring. For more than 13 years, Brass City Tile Designs operated in Waterbury before store owner Martin Niatopsky decided to open a second location, in Berlin. The family-run business is located at 33 Webster Square Road. The shop offers a wide selection of high-quality tile products for kitchens, bathrooms, and more. Customers can
Berlin store manager Joe Niatopsky.
browse a large showroom and take samples to try at home.
In a Thursday, April 29 webinar, neuroscientist Susan Masino and naturalist Margery Winters will share simple changes you can start making that will be good for you and for the birds, bees, and other creatures that call Connecticut home. During the webinar, Masino and Winters will also detail their experience collaborating on Simsbury’s Open Space Master Plan to ensure the long-term health and integrity of their town. Also, they will leave plenty of time for questions and link attendees to helpful resources. The program will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Berlin store opened in March and is run by Niatopsky’s son, Joe Niatopsky, who has worked in the tile industry for more than a decade.
Get in the Arbor Day spirit by learning about the benefits of a more natural world ― and how we can make our own yards and towns more natural.
See Tile, A24
See Webinar, A15
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Volume 23, Number 14
