Daily Five: Groton's Proposed Budget to be Presented Tonight

1.  Today is Tuesday, March 26. The National Weather Service predicts partly sunny skies and a high temperature of 45 degrees.  The low will drop to 30 tonight.

2.  The Groton Town Council will meet as a Committee of the Whole at 7 p.m. today in the Town Hall Annex and receive the proposed 2014 budget. or an increase of .6 percent over current spending, which would require a 5.4 percent increase in the tax rate. Most of the increase is due to declining revenues in Groton and the use of the town's fund balance.

3.  The Council is also expected to discuss new regulations suggested by the Parks and Recreation Commission that would label parks, beaches, trails and other facilities  “family-friendly,” and prohibit smoking, tobacco, drugs, beer, wine and other alcohol.  Groton has an ordinance that forbids alcohol at town-sponsored events, like the concerts at Esker Point Beach, though it has not been enforced.

4.  Donate Life Connecticut, an organization that promotes awareness of the benefits of organ and tissue donation, has asked Groton to fly a "Donate Life" flag at Town Hall during April. More than 70 other municipalities in Connecticut are also flying the flag to take part in the national program.

5.  The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities will hold its "CCM Day on the Hill" starting at 9 a.m. on April 10 in Hartford. The gathering is intended to give local leaders the chance to talk directly to legislators about the state budget and how it will affect their communities.