The public hearing agenda in Seymour.
SEYMOUR – A public hearing on a proposed budget that would raise taxes is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday (April 3) in front of the Seymour Board of Finance.
The hearing will take place in the Norma Drummer Room of Seymour Town Hall at 1 First St.
If approved as is, the $66.6 million budget would raise the mill rate to 37.25 mills. That’s 1.27 mills more than the current 35.98 mills.
The owner of a house assessed at $300,000 would pay about $381 more in taxes next year.
A single-family house on 4 acres on Bungay Road assessed at $213,360 would pay $277 more in taxes next year.
A single-family house on .28 acres on Wood Street assessed at $139,720 would pay $177 more in taxes next year.
Tax bills are calculated by multiplying the assessed value (click this link to look up your address) by the mill rate and then dividing by 1,000.
“The public hearing is for residents to show up to voice their opinions and to voice their concerns; it’s their town budget,” said First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis.
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 preliminary budget includes a $1.8 million, or 4.7 percent, increase for the Seymour Board of Education.
The town side of the budget – that is, everything but education – carries a $590,501, or 2.27 percent, increase over the current budget.
A PDF explaining the town’s budget process can be found here.
Hard copies of the preliminary budget are available at Seymour Town Hall, the Seymour Public Library and the Seymour Community Center.
The finance board could make changes to the preliminary budget immediately after the public hearing Wednesday night.
Next Steps
A town meeting on the budget has been scheduled for 7 p.m. April 17 at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St. That meeting is hosted by the Seymour Board of Selectpersons. The board could recommend changes to the budget, but only if at least 50 registered voters attend the meeting.
The town meeting ends with the board officially putting the budget to referendum.
That referendum – during which people will vote on the town and school budgets separately – is scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 2 at the Seymour Community Center.
The Drugonis administration has been trying to get the public more involved in the budget process by livestreaming budget preparation meetings on Facebook. The town sent a robocall on Monday (April 1) telling people about the public hearing.
Drugonis said Seymour isn’t alone in presenting a budget that raises taxes. It took several votes to get last year’s budget approved.
“Every town around us, the mill rate is (proposed) to go up, including Shelton,” she said. “The board of finance put out a preliminary budget that they believe is fair and equitable to everyone. There are a lot of increases in this budget because last year’s budget was cut so bad that we are now feeling that in town.”
