By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BURRILLVILLE — It was a small group of residents that came out for Thursday night’s public hearing on the town’s proposed $46.8 million budget for fiscal 2009, but the message to the Town Council was loud and clear: Stop raising taxes.

“I blew a gasket when I read that the tax rate was going up,” said Susan Kent of Benedict Road, who noted the budget’s projected property tax rate increase of 40 cents.
“I haven’t finished paying the credit card I used to pay last year’s taxes,” Kent told the council. “I beg you, don’t raise our taxes. Something’s got to give. Most of us are not getting pay raises. Most of us don’t have any more to give.”
Clenching a list of foreclosed properties in town, Kent raised it in the air and said, “If  you don’t do something, this list is going to get bigger.”
The proposed $46,9 million spending plan, which is $1.2 million lower than this year’s budget, is projecting a new tax rate of  $12 — a 40-cent increase per $1,000 of valuation over the current $11.60 tax rate.
While it’s still too early to determine precisely how that will impact tax bills — the rate could change and go up or down pending final state aid figures expected in June — residents at Thursday’s hearing were fearing another hit to their pocketbooks.
“When we had the last revaluation we were told our taxes wouldn’t go up, but they did. My taxes went up $100 a quarter,” resident Beverly Kociusa told the council. “We don’t have a lot of commercial business in town, so you have to depend on us the homeowners. A lot of people are on fixed incomes and you’re going to end up taxing those people right out of their homes.”
“My taxes are way too high for what I have and where I live,” one woman said. “I’ve lived here for 20 years and I have to try and put three kids through college next year. When I see some of these (municipal and school employee) salaries I just can’t believe it. Personally, I don’t think we’re getting our money’s worth. How about cutting some of these salaries before raising taxes?”
According to budget information handed out Thursday night, the top five salaries of the 300 municipal  and school employees on a list entitled “Top Wages” total just under $500,000, including the town manager ($105,185); school superintendent ($104,795); middle school principal ($99,095); director of public works ($94,529); and a top step teacher at the high school ($91,487).
Further down the list, the police chief gets a salary of $81,256, and a detective in the department earns $88,533.
“You need to find different ways of doing things,” one resident told the council. “Enough is enough.”
Included in the overall budget is Town Manager Michael C. Wood’s proposed $27.6 million school budget, which reflects an increase of about $575,000, or  2.13 percent. A separate public hearing will be held on the school budget May 29.
Wood’s recommended municipal budget, which is within the state’s 5 percent levy cap, includes a municipal operating budget of $9,7. million, which represents an increase of more than $343,000, or 3.66 percent over the current year. The bulk of the increase — roughly $191,000 — goes toward operating expenses and other requirements related to the new Jesse M. Smith Library.
The budget projects revenue of about $25.6 million, a $2 million-plus decrease from last year’s estimates. To  balance the budget, Wood is recommending that $150,000 be applied from the debt reduction fund and $78,750 from the undesignated, unreserved fund balance. The majority of that money, $150,000, was earned in interest from the Callahan School Bond.
The overall cost of employee benefits in the proposed budget has decreased by $56,000, or almost 3 percent. About  $38,000 of that savings is attributable to town membership in the Governmental Health Group of Rhode Island.
The Town Council is expected to adopt the proposed budget on or before June 15.
“In general, we’re not in bad shape. We can weather the storm,” Wood said at the hearing. “Next year we’ll have some levy room in the debt service that will help us out. I think we can get by and maintain the status quo.”