A private citizen’s offer to personally pay $5,000 for the May referendum may not be possible, First Selectman Paul Roy said Monday.
Last week Seymour resident William Ferris delivered a letter to Town Hall offering to pay for the referendum if the town sent the school budget to voters at $30.2 million.
The $30.2 million was the amount requested by the school board to fund the school district next year. It was a $1.2 million increase over current spending.
Instead, the town’s Finance Board opted to fund an increase of $500,000. The process then calls for budget to go out to voters in May.
It took four votes to get a budget approved last year. Some Finance Board members said voters sent them a message last year — don’t you dare increase the tax rate by more than 1 mill.
Sending a budget to voters with a $1.2 million increase would just mean rejection — and the town would have to pay more to hold repeated budget votes.
Ferris, who has two daughters in the high school and no local political affiliation, countered that logic by offering to pick up the tab for the first referendum, as long as the school board’s full request was sent to voters.
A town-wide referendum usually costs about $5,000, officials said.
Can He Do That?
The Valley Indy called Secretary of State Denise Merrill’s office Monday to inquire about Ferris’ offer.
A spokesman there said the jurisdiction over the matter would be entirely up to local officials — via the Seymour Town Charter, the set of rules and regulations that act as a blue print for local government.
Colleen Fries, the Seymour town counsel, learned about the offer from the Valley Indy Monday. She said she could not comment.
First Selectman Paul Roy said his reading of the charter leads him to believe the town can’t take Ferris up on his offer.
The charter lays out the budget process, giving the Board of Finance leeway in the process. There’s nothing in the document, either way, about a private citizen picking up the tab for a referendum, let alone with a string attached.
Even if it was allowed, Roy said he did not think it was appropriate for the town to agree to Ferris’ terms.
“I don’t know if it’s illegal, but it doesn’t look proper,” Roy said.
Roy said he would bring the subject up to the full Board of Selectmen Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
Ferris said Monday he will attend the Board of Selectmen meeting to see what becomes of his offer.
“Obviously, I’m not an expert on election law. I was attempting to eliminate a hurdle the Board of Finance identified,” Ferris said.
Last week’s Finance Board was packed with people — including Ferris — who said that the town is under-funding the school district, a disservice to students.
