SEYMOUR – Residents at the annual town meeting Tuesday (April 7) voted not to make any changes to a $70.7 million budget that was recommended by the Board of Finance last month.
The budget now heads to a townwide referendum scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 21 at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St.
The budget puts a new proposed mill rate at 29.25 mills. That’s an increase of 1.53 mills, or 5.5 percent, over the current mill rate of 27.72 mills.
About 130 residents showed up at Seymour Middle School for the meeting. Since at least 50 residents attended, they had the power to decrease or increase the bottom line of the town and school budgets.
But that didn’t happen.
A motion was made by Deputy First Selectman Al Bruno and seconded by Selectwoman Trish Danka to move the $27.7 million town side of the budget, as is, to the referendum. Residents then voted 105-23, with three abstentions, in favor of the town budget.
A motion was then made by resident Leah Pawluk and seconded by resident Brian Sirowich, who is chairman of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, to move the $43.1 million Board of Education budget, as is, to the referendum. Residents voted 91-32, with eight abstentions, in favor of the school budget.
Resident Laura Wilkins attempted to make a motion to reduce the school budget by $350,000, but since a motion was already made and seconded to send the school budget as is to the referendum, Wilkins’ motion was moot.
The overall $70.7 million budget carries a spending increase of $2.6 million, or 3.8 percent, above the current $68.2 million budget. The bottom line combines two budgets: $27.6 million for the town and $43.1 million for Seymour Public Schools.
The school budget represents an increase of 4.3 percent, or $1.8 million, over the current budget.
The town budget represents an increase of 2.9 percent, or about $797,000, over the current budget.
About a dozen residents spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, most of them voicing support for the school budget.
“The budget before you tonight is thoughtful, responsible and already reflects difficult decisions,” said parent Janna Sirowich. “It’s not excessive, it’s needed to maintain the quality of education and experiences that our children deserve. I urge you to support the Board of Education budget and invest in the children of our community.”
Parent Jessica Nunez praised the school system and its teachers, encouraging residents to volunteer in the schools to see their tax dollars at work.
“Our school system has been nothing but incredible to my three daughters, and I challenge anyone to volunteer at our schools and see the impact these teachers have on our kids,” Nunez said.
Former First Selectman Robert Koskelowski said there’s not enough money included in the town side of the budget to repair roads and make other improvements.
“There’s no money in here for infrastructure for the town, and our roads are not going to get improved,” Koskelowski said.
Potential Tax Bill Impact
Under the new proposed mill rate of 29.25 mills, a single-family house on Brookfield Road assessed at $436,170 would pay $667 more per year in taxes.
A house on Colony Road assessed at $268,800 would pay $417 more per year in taxes.
A house on Bungay Road assessed at $195,790 would pay $299 more per year in taxes.
Budget Drivers
Here’s a breakdown of the items driving the overall $2.6 million increase in the proposed budget:
*Board of Education: $1.8 million increase
*Emergency services: $372,698 increase
*Employee benefits and town insurance: $335,786 increase
*General government: $49,231 increase
*Utilities: $20,775 increase
*Senior Citizens Tax Relief: $15,000 increase
Click here to read all Seymour budget stories from this year by The Valley Indy.