CORRECTION: The Valley Indy has been reporting that a referendum in Ansonia is required if a mill rate increase totals three percent or more. THIS IS WRONG.
Ansonia City Corporation Counsel John Marini and Ansonia Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley told The Valley Indy on April 8 that a referendum is triggered if the budget approved by the Ansonia Board of Aldermen represents an increase of three percent or more in net taxes to be collected from the previous year’s budget.
The Valley Indy regrets the error.
April 8, 2025
ANSONIA — Members of the city’s tax board voted April 7 to transfer a budget to the full Board of Aldermen for review.
The officials did not state the proposed budget’s bottom line nor reveal the proposed mill rate. The meeting was held on Zoom. A proposed budget was not included in the agenda packet for the public.
However, the last time the group met in public, they were discussing a $69.6 million budget that would set the mill rate at 29.62 mills – according to a slide shared at the meeting, which is posted at the bottom of this story. That is an increase of 3.13 mills. That is an approximate 11 percent increase in the mill rate.
The Ansonia Board of Aldermen have final say over the budget.
However, according to the Ansonia Charter, any mill rate increase of three percent or more must go to voters.
Members of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen are scheduled to discuss a referendum at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday (April 8). Click here to read the agenda and the agenda packet.
If the mill rate is 29.62 mills, a single-family home on Holbrook Street assessed at $180,000 would pay $563.40 more next year in taxes.
A house on Gardners Lane assessed at $248,000 would pay $776.24 more next year.
A house on High Acres Road assessed at $366,000 would pay $1,145.58 more next year.
As of March 26, the proposed school budget totaled $39,560,719. The city side of the budget totals $30,033,120. The combined total is $69,593,839. The proposed budget carries a spending increase of $2,510,534, or 3.7 percent.
Budget director Kurt Miller, Mayor David Cassetti and corporation counsel John Marini were not immediately available for comment after Monday night’s meeting. However, tax board member David Papcin confirmed officials are looking at a proposed mill rate of 29.62 mills.
Cassetti proposed a budget in February that carried a mill rate increase of 2.61 mills. That spending plan, though its proposed tax rate increase was smaller, would have also triggered a referendum. The tax board voted to adopt the mayor’s budget at a meeting on March 3, and then scheduled meetings to talk about it.
If the mayor’s initial version of the budget was put into effect:
*A single-family home on Holbrook Street assessed at $180,000 would pay $469.80 more in taxes.
*A house on Gardners Lane assessed at $248,000 would pay $647.28 more.
*A house on High Acres Road assessed at $366,000 would pay $955.26 more.
A budget document shared on Zoom in March showed a potential mill rate increase in Ansonia.
