The Representative Town Meeting session Monday in Central Middle School is all about $352,158,000 to run the Town and schools during fiscal '09.

That's up a belt-tightening 2.5 percent from the fiscal '08 budget.

The annual budget session, a multi-million dollar marathon, starts at 7 p.m., one hour earlier than usual. The early start aims to give the 230-delegate Town legislative body enough time to go over First Selectman Peter Tesei's budget like inch-worms.

Segments of the budget, with amounts for each:

* Town Services, $121,188,027.

* Education, $124,989,846.

* Capital, $35,113,000.

* Fixed Charges, $70,868,027.

Aside from authorizing the Town budget, the RTM Monday also will be asked by the Board of Education to free up $972,000 on the spot to pay for remediation by mid-August of the faulty modular facility on the Glenville School campus.

Incidentally, the '09 budget the RTM will weigh-in on is some $30 million less than Tesei requested on Feb. 4 when he took the wraps off his first budget in the library's Cole Auditorium.

This fiscal subtraction is due to The Nathaniel Witherell postponing its request

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for $30 million in bonding until fiscal '10. Witherell board Chairman David Ormsby related that The Witherell will not be in a position to spend the money for "ProjectRenew" until a year from now.

Meanwhile, "Resolutions " to be introduced at the start of the RTM budget session by Doug Wells, chairman of the RTM Legislative & Rules Committee, aim to clamp some time restraints on doings during the big budget hoe-down.

Item 1 on the agenda: "Resolved, that time to speak at the May RTM be limited to three minutes per speaker for each motion "

Item 2 states that if Monday's business has not been concluded by midnight, the meeting shall adjourn and meet again on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 p.m. at Central Middle School.

The Town Charter holds that the RTM during its budget session may not add any items or beef up amounts in the budget that was rigorously reviewed and approved weeks ago by the Board of Estimate and taxation (BET) chaired by Steve Walko.

What is the RTM permitted to do when it goes over the multi-faceted budget? Trim amounts believed to be too large or inappropriate.

That action, a review of past RTM budget sessions shows, often draws blood among disagreeing factions.

To view the action Monday, tune to Channel 79. The "show" featuring democracy in action stars your elected RTM delegates, plus Town and Board of Education brass - all in Sunday-best attire and alert.