SEYMOUR — Voters are scheduled to cast ballots Thursday (May 4) on a proposed $65.2 million budget that raises the mill rate.
A budget referendum is scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 4 at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St. The town and school budgets will be posed as two separate questions on the ballot, with voters asked to vote yes or no to both budgets.
Under the budget approved last month by the Seymour Board of Finance, the mill rate increases from 35.59 mills to 37.18 mills. That is an increase of 1.59 mills.
If the budget was approved, a homeowner with a single-family house assessed at $200,000 would pay $318 more in taxes next year.
The budget the board approved during its meeting March 27 breaks down to $26.5 million for the town side of the budget and $38.6 million for the Board of Education.
Combined, both the town and school budgets total $65,172,904. That bottom line represents an increase of $2.8 million, or 4.5 percent, over the current 2022 – 2023 fiscal budget.
The budget the board approved is $691,836 more than what First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis initially proposed in March. Drugonis’ proposal was $2 million, or 3.3 percent over the current, $62.4 million budget.
Drugonis’ proposal gave the Board of Education a $37.9 million budget, or 2.2 percent increase. The finance board’s budget — the budget up for vote May 4 — gives the school board a $38.7 million budget, or 3.8 percent increase.
“We ask the residents to come out and have their voices heard,” Drugonis said. “This budget moves the town forward. The mill rate is going up, and that’s because of some things we can’t control, including contractual negotiations. Utilities, oil, gas, retirement costs are all up. As inflation goes up, as does everything else that it costs to move the town forward.”
Bill Sawicki, chairman of the finance board, had said the budget is fair to both taxpayers and the town departments.
“This budget is based on the needs of the town and departments, as well as the economic situation with the taxpayers, and we feel it strikes a balanced need,” Sawicki said. “We need to move forward, with giving the taxpayers the needed services and keeping the tax rate as reasonable as we can. This budget continues to guarantee the services the taxpayers need and depend on- public works, fire, police and education.”
The budget, in part, includes about $50,000 to upgrade online security in light of a cybercrime the town fell prey to last year, when it was bilked out of $375,000 in a phishing scam.
Other budget highlights include $4.6 million for the police department; $2.5 million for employee health benefits; $1.9 million for public works: $1.6 million for garbage collection; $488,863 for community services (recreation/senior center); $401,990 for the town library and $349,989 for the fire department.
