Seymour First Selectwoman Anmarie Drugonis addresses the town's finance board at a meeting held March 25.
SEYMOUR – Members of the Seymour Board of Finance on Tuesday (March 25) recommended moving a $69.2 million budget for fiscal year 2025 – 2026 to the annual town meeting on April 2.
While not casting a formal vote on the budget, the board did vote 5 – 2 in favor of recommending a budget that carries a spending increase of $2.9 million, or 4.34 percent, more than the current $66.4 million budget.
Board members Beverly Kennedy and Bettyann Peck cast the dissenting votes. Kennedy said the proposed mill rate is too high.
The $69.2 million budget is the same “consensus” budget the board agreed on at its meeting last week. The bottom line combines two budgets: $27.1 million for the town and $42.1 million for Seymour Public Schools.
The budget recommends a new proposed mill rate of 28.29 mills. That’s a decrease of 8.55 mills from the current mill rate of 36.84 mills.
While the mill rate is going down, the numbers used to calculate property taxes – assessments and the mill rate – have changed. That’s because the town went through revaluation last October.
First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said homeowners’ assessments increased an average of 43 percent.
Under a proposed mill rate of 28.29 mills, a 3,558 square-foot house on Brookfield Road assessed at $459,060 would pay about $12,986 in taxes next year.
That’s a $1,846 increase.
A 2,101-square-foot house on Colony Road assessed at $304,290 would pay about $8,608 in taxes next year. That’s an increase of $2,149.
A 1,360-square-foot house on Bungay Road assessed at $230,930 would pay about $6,553 in taxes next year. That’s an increase of $370.
What Residents Are Saying
Prior to the finance board recommending a budget, a public hearing was held which drew about 35 people. Several people spoke against any tax increase, citing major spikes in their property assessments.
Resident Joan Firmender said the value of the two properties she owns each increased by 33 percent thanks to revaluation.
“How do you budget for something like that?” Firmender said.
Resident Brian Ploss blasted spending on the education side.
“The town did a good job keeping their budget simple, but the board of education is out of control,” Ploss said.
Resident Gayle Warhola, a former Seymour teacher, said she researched the school budget and learned Seymour schools have 10 administrators, earning more than $2 million combined.
Several school officials, including board members Stephan Behuniak and Kristen Bruno, defended the administration, saying cuts to top positions have been made over recent years, including eliminating the assistant superintendent position and a vice-principal at the high school. They also said 10 administrators is “the bare minimum” to have for four schools.
Teachers union president Meagan Krushinski asked the finance board for its support.
“Our budget is not built on extras, it’s built on essentials,” Krushinski said. “Every year we stretch every dollar, and any further cuts won’t be about efficiency, it will be about sacrifice.”
Several residents also encouraged the town to do more to increase economic development, to take some of the burden off the taxpayers, and place it more on commercial/retail businesses.
What’s Next?
The budget now heads to the annual town meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. April 2 at Seymour Town Hall. The town meeting, hosted by the Seymour Board of Selectpersons, is required per the town charter. Changes could be made to the proposed budget, if at least 50 registered voters attend the meeting.
If at least 50 registered voters don’t show up, then the meeting is adjourned.
The final step is a townwide budget referendum on both the town budget and the school budget. That’s been scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 17 at the Seymour Community Center. In Seymour, voters cast separate ballots on the town and school budgets.
The finance board’s budget gives the Seymour Board of Education a $2.3 million, or 5.9 percent increase. The school board had initially requested a 7.9 percent increase.
School officials said spikes in health insurance, utilities, transportation, state mandates and out-of-district special education tuition, along with staff salary increases, are the driving forces behind the budget increase.
Here’s a breakdown of the items driving the overall (school and town) $2.9 million budget increase:
*Utilities: $78,827
*Employee benefits/Town Insurances: $324,969
*Board of Education: $2.3 million
*Capital fund: $140,000
The town side of the budget includes salary increases between 2 to 3 percent for town employees. It also adds a full-time accounts payable clerk, a full-time assessor and a floater position to cover the town clerk and tax collector’s offices when needed.
A $10,000 stipend for the emergency management director was also added, making the volunteer position a paid one.
Other budget highlights on the town side include $4.5 million for the police department; $2.8 million for employee health insurance; $1.9 million for public works: $1.6 million for garbage collection; $571,617 for community services (recreation/senior center); $405,283 for the town library; and $353,200 for the fire department.
On the school side of the budget, school officials attributed the increase, in part, to a combination of teacher pay raises ($756,316) and non-certified staff pay raises ($160,823). Teacher salaries and benefits comprise the largest chunk (78 percent) of the overall education budget.
The school budget also includes $473,949 for new staffing positions. Three of the new positions are state-mandated, according to school officials, and include an English language learner teacher for the elementary schools ($118,719); a special education/pre‑K teacher ($118,719), and a school climate coordinator for the middle school ($3,172).
Several new stipend positions are also included, which school officials said are geared to enhance students’ experience beyond the classroom, including afterschool clubs, track and field coaches for the middle school and a library media makerspace/STEAM lab.
