About 500 residents will find out tonight if their pleas made an impact on the Board of Finance.
The group of residents — who signed a petition in recent weeks — have asked the finance board to push forward the Board of Education budget proposal as presented by the school board back in January.
The Board of Finance will make its final adjustments to the budget at a meeting at 7 p.m. at the Community Center on Pine Street, before sending it to voters at a referendum on April 26.
At $30.2 million, the education request represented a 3.9 percent, or $1.2 million, increase in spending.
The finance board reduced the proposal — giving a $722,000 increase, instead.
Some residents, such as Cindy Dion, hope the Board of Finance tonight makes the changes the petitioners requested.
Dion presented the petition to the Board of Finance at a final public hearing on the town’s spending plan Wednesday. She urged the board to “show you care” by adjusting the education budget proposal.
“We are asking for the right to vote,” Dion said, holding up a folder with the petition. “Five hundred people could not be here tonight but they took time to sign petitions. Show you care, and take a stand, and let it go through at $1.2.”
Click play above to view Dion’s remarks.
But others who spoke at the hearing Wednesday said the budget increases should be controlled, and that spending more money on schools won’t make for better education.
Board of Finance chairman Robert Koskelowski wouldn’t say Thursday afternoon if the resident pleas had swayed his mind.
“I’ve done a lot of research and a lot of thinking about these things, and I’ll make my decision tonight,” Koskelowski said.
School Fight
The school proposal has been a focal point of the budget season in Seymour.
One town resident, William Ferris, even offered to pay for the town’s budget referendum if the Board of Finance kept the school proposal as-is and let voters decide if it was too much.
The town declined his offer.
Another Plea
First Selectman Paul Roy Wednesday urged voters to support the town and school budget proposals as presented — at a combined $50.69 million dollars. The proposal calls for a 1 mill tax rate increase, which translates to about $200 more in taxes on a home assessed at $200,000.
The town side and school side are well balanced, Roy said.
“I hope that on April 26 you will support the entire budget,” Roy told the crowd at Seymour Middle School.
Budget Highlights
- Total spending up up 2.68 percent.
- The town side of spending is up 2.97 percent.
- The budget is a 1 mill tax increase. That comes to about $200 more a year on a home assessed at $200,000.
- The Board of Finance has proposed a school district of increase of $722,000 more, or about 2.48 percent.
- The $50.69 million budget proposal includes $29.8 million for the Board of Education.
- New tax rate under the proposal would be 27.78. The current mill rate is 26.78.
