A screen shot from a YouTube video showing members of the Seymour Board of Finance.
SEYMOUR – The Board of Finance on Monday (March 18) approved a preliminary budget of $66.6 million for fiscal year 2024 – 2025 to present to voters at a public hearing next month.
Under the preliminary budget, the mill rate would increase from 35.98 mills to 37.25 mills. That’s an increase of 1.27 mills.
If the budget was approved as is, a homeowner with a house assessed at $210,000 would pay about $276 more in taxes next year, or about $22 more a month, according to the town’s interim finance director Jay Vieira.
The preliminary budget will be the subject of a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. April 3 at Seymour Town Hall.
The budget is similar to the spending plan First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis presented to the board earlier this month. However, the finance board opted to give the Seymour Board of Education its full, 4.7 percent (or $1.8 million) requested increase.
Drugonis’ budget gave the board a 3.8 percent increase.
Prior to the board’s vote, several members of the school board asked the board to consider fully funding its $39.9 million request in order to meet new state mandates, including hiring an additional bilingual teacher.
“Without the additional bilingual teacher, we’re not able to meet mandates in an equitable way,” said school board vice chairwoman Kristen Bruno.
Voters last year, at a third referendum, approved a school budget of $38.2 million, which was an increase of 2.5 percent, or $930,703.
Seymour Schools Superintendent Susan Compton said the 4.7 percent increase takes care of mandates, as well as allows for the hiring of three permanent building substitutes, a new middle school teacher to address increased enrollment, and the bilingual teacher which Compton said would be shared between the elementary schools.
The school board, earlier this year, initially approved a 5.6 percent increase, which included security cameras, social workers, a unified arts teacher, support for special education director and administration support, but the board whittled that down to a 4.7 percent increase.
“Things that are needs are being pushed aside,” said school board member Stephan Behuniak. “Year after year we come here, and we cut and we cut and never have a chance to make up that ground. We are not able to – due to financial constraints – provide every possible avenue for our students so we have to pick and choose our battles.”
Finance board chairman Richard Demko said giving the school budget its full ask will be up to the voters.
“The Board of Education budget took an immense hit throughout the three referendums last year,” Demko said. “There will be opportunities for people to tell us if they don’t like the idea of a 4.7 percent increase.”
Finance board member Beverly Kennedy was the only board member to abstain from voting on a preliminary budget, saying “if we go with a 4.7 percent (for the school board) it’s going to go down and we’ll be right back here again, cutting them.”
The preliminary $66.6 million bottom line combines two budgets: $26.6 million for the town, and $39.9 million for Seymour Public Schools. The combined bottom line increases spending by $2.4 million, or about 3.2 percent over the current, $64.2 million budget.
The finance board could tweak the budget after the public hearing. They’ll adopt a final budget, and then the budget goes to an old-fashioned New England ‘town meeting’ at 7 p.m. April 17 at the Seymour Community Center on Pine Street.
The town meeting, hosted by the 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 vote on both the town budget and the school budget.
That’s scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 2 at the Seymour Community Center.
Copies of the budget will be available at Seymour Town Hall, the Seymour Public Library and the Seymour Community Center.
