Seymour residents Thursday had their second of three chances to directly participate in deciding how the town spends its money.
The annual town meeting was held at the Seymour High School auditorium April 23 at 7 p.m. It was the last chance residents had to request changes to the town’s budget proposal before it gets sent to voters.
Although 32 residents attended the meeting, that’s not enough to hold the combined school and town budget back — 50 are required by town charter.
So the Board of Selectmen sent the proposed $55.9 million budget to a referendum scheduled for Thursday April 30.
Seymour First Selecman Kurt Miller wouldn’t say whether he thought residents would pass the proposal. But based on the decent turnout Thursday, he said he does expect people to come out and vote next week.
“This is the most we’ve had at a town meeting in many years,” Miller said.
He credited a Code Red phone call sent to residents and increased social media communications with drawing more people to the meeting.
While he wouldn’t guess at the referendum result, Miller said, “I hope the residents of Seymour will support the budget.”
Why Hold The Town Meeting at All?
Seymour’s budget process, with its insistence on a 50-person meeting, is interesting. It can be a bit confusing to those new to the system.
Town Counsel Bryan LeClerc said town meetings are “remnants” of colonial forms of government, when all members of a town would get together to decide on important issues.Seymour voters used to approve the budget at a town meeting, according to finance director Doug Thomas. About ten years ago, the town switched to a referendum vote instead, Thomas said.
A referendum gave residents flexibility to come out at different times and have their say on the budget, rather than have to show up at 7 p.m. one night in April.
But the town charter still includes the annual town meeting, which now adjourns to the town-wide budget vote. Thomas called it “procedural.”
In Seymour, if enough people show up to the town meeting, they could make changes to the proposal before it went to voters.
According to the charter, if 50 people show up, those residents could vote then to reduce or reject the budget before the referendum.
LeClerc said residents couldn’t touch legal obligations, revenues or debt services. All other line items — including the bottom line for the Board of Education budget — could be put to a vote, which would need a majority of those present to pass.
Silence
That hasn’t happened in recent memory, though. In a town that often takes several tries to pass a budget at referendum, Seymour residents have little to publicly say about the proposals floated before them by town finance officials.
After the town meeting failed to reach a quorum Thursday, the Board of Selectmen held a brief meeting to officially pass the budget along to referendum. Miller offered a chance for any of the 32 members of the public to talk about the budget.
No one spoke.
During a public hearing last month, only eight people spoke. Many focused more on the fact that there’s little civic participation in Seymour than on the substance of the budget proposal. See video below.
Past public hearings have had similar results.
Town officials have made efforts to get information to voters about the budget and the budget process — including a step-by-step guide to budget dates (click for PDF) that includes a description of what happens on each date.
Three dates when residents can participate in the process are displayed in bold on the table: The public hearing, the town budget meeting and the referendum vote.
Budget Details
The $55.9 million budget proposal represents a 2.8 percent increase in spending over the current year.
Under the proposal, the town’s tax rate would go from the current 34.04 mills to 34.67 mills, an increase of .67 mills.
If approved, that would mean a homeowner with a house assessed at $140,000 would see an $88 increase in taxes next year. A house assessed at $200,000 would see an increase of $126.
The proposed school budget totals $32.6 million. That’s a 2.99 percent, or $950,000 increase, over the current budget.
The school budget’s bottom line is about $67,000 less than the school district’s initial request to the town’s board of finance.
School officials explained their budget to the public in a webinar hosted by the Valley Indy on March 31. The full presentation can be viewed below.
The complete budget details, including the full request, meeting updates and a handy guide on how to calculate your taxes, is available on the town’s website.
The town’s side of the budget is proposed at $23.2 million, which includes town services such as police, public works and town hall, as well as debt repayment and capital expenses. It’s a 2.82 percent spending increase over the current year.
ONE MORE CHANCE
The budget referendum is scheduled for Thursday April 30 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Seymour Community Center on Pine Street.
If the budget fails, the next referendum will be held on May 14, same time, same place. Selectmen set five referendum dates to plan ahead in case they fail. After May 14 will be May 28, then June 11 and June 25.
