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SEYMOUR — The town and school budgets are scheduled to go to a public referendum from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at the Seymour Community Center on Pine Street.
Budget Basics
The budgets are asked as separate questions on the ballot.
Combined they total $66.6 million. The town side of the budget – public works, town hall, the police department and all town departments – totals $26.6 million.
The school budget totals $39.9 million.
Tax Bill Info
If the school and town budgets are approved May 2, 1.27 mills will be added to the mill rate, bringing it to 37.25 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 (not the appraised value) by the mill rate and then dividing by 1,000. Here’s a link to look up your property.
Town Meeting
The Seymour Board of Selectpersons held the annual town meeting on the budget April 17.
According to the town charter, at least 50 registered voters were needed at the meeting in order to recommend changes to the budget.
The meeting drew 64 people.
Resident Jennifer Stevens made a motion to reduce the proposed school budget by $600,000. The motion was seconded by resident Corey Firmender but was defeated when only six people voted yes.
Stevens said the school budget is too high.
“I think that nearly a $40 million education budget for a town this size is excessive,” Stevens said. “It represents an increase of over 4.7 percent and the increase over last year’s budget is over $1.7 million. I think a three percent increase would be more reasonable.”
Seymour Deputy First Selectman Al Bruno said the school budget is reasonable.
“This is a well-reasoned budget that has gone through lots of machinations and discussions,” Bruno said. “I would ask that we put this board of education budget forward not only for the benefit of our kids, but for the benefit of our property values, for without a good school system our property values will not continue to climb.”
The town meeting ended with the Selectpersons (correction) moderator W. Kurt Miller ending the meeting.
Budget Ballot Details
Click here for the town’s budget page.
Voters will be asked on May 2 to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the following two ballot questions:
*Shall the Town general government budget, as recommended by the Board of Finance, of $26,633,505 for the fiscal year 2024 – 2035 be adopted?
*Shall the Board of Education budget, as recommended by the Board of Finance, of $39,968,781 for the Town of Seymour for fiscal year 2024 – 2025 be adopted?
The combined $66.6 million proposed budget carries a $2.4 million – or 3.5 percent increase – over the current budget.
The town side of the budget – that is, everything but education – carries a $590,501, or 2.27 percent, increase over the current budget.
The school side of the budget includes a $1.8 million, or 4.7 percent, increase.
FYI
If one or both budgets are rejected, the Seymour Board of Finance will meet to make changes.
Additional referendum dates have been scheduled for May 16 and May 30.
Last year, it took three votes to get a budget passed.
