SEYMOUR – Voters rejected a $70.7 million town and school budget for fiscal year 2026 – 2027 during a referendum Tuesday (April 21) at the Seymour Community Center.

Here are the results:

Question 1: Should the town budget of $27.6 million be approved?
Yes: 684
No: 854
(rejected)

Question 2: Should the school budget of $43.1 million be approved?
Yes: 614
No: 924
(rejected)

Members of the Seymour Board of Finance are scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Wednesday (April 22) in Seymour Town Hall to discuss budget changes, according to finance board chairman Richard Demko.

“I have no idea what we’re going to. We’re going to have to look at some more numbers and go from there,” Demko said.

A revised budget will be presented to voters at a second referendum scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 5 at the Seymour Community Center.

About 10 percent of Seymour’s nearly 11, 496 registered voters cast ballots. Demko said it was disheartening to see both the town and school budgets go down.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” Demko said. “Every year I take the optimistic approach. Our board puts a lot of work into this. But the people have spoken and we have to go back to the drawing board.”

First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said the town budget proposal was lean.

“It’s back to the drawing board again, and another $5,000 to hold another referendum,” Drugonis said following Tuesday’s vote. “We will be closing town hall on Fridays and closing the transfer station on Saturdays. These services cost money and that’s where it’s going to have to be.”

Superintendent of Schools Susan Compton was also upset with the outcome of the vote.

“I just hope we can continue to encourage more people to come out and vote,” Compton said. “The people have spoken and if the Board of Finance reduces us some more, we’re going to have to work with that. We truly had a very lean budget, and we just hope for what’s best for our kids.”

The $70.7 million budget represented an increase of $2.6 million, or 3.8 percent, above the current $68.2 million budget.

The combined budgets set the mill rate at 29.25 mills. That was an increase of 1.53 mills, or 5.5 percent, over the current mill rate of 27.72 mills.

The bottom line combined two budgets: $27.6 million for the town and $43.1 million for Seymour Public Schools.

The school budget represented an increase of 4.3 percent, or $1.8 million, over the current budget.

The town budget represented an increase of 2.9 percent, or about $797,000, over the current budget.

Click here to read all Seymour budget stories in the Valley Indy this year.