Seymour Town Hall
SEYMOUR – Residents have a chance to weigh in on a proposed $61.7 million budget for fiscal year 2022 – 2023 at the annual budget hearing set for 6 p.m. Thursday (April 7) at Town Hall.
Click here to read the agenda for the public hearing.
The Board of Finance will hold a meeting immediately after the public hearing, at which point they could make changes to the budget or leave it as is and send it to a town-wide referendum.
The public is scheduled to vote on the town and school budgets at a referendum scheduled for 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 28 at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St.
The proposed budget carries an increase of .41 mills (from 34.71 to 35.12).
If the budget is approved by voters as is, taxes would increase by $62 next year for a single family house assessed at $150,000.
The overall proposal carries a budget-to-budget increase of $2.6 million, or 4.3 percent.
The proposal includes $36.6 million for the school district, and $25.2 for the town side of the budget.
The school board initially requested a 6.9 percent increase ($2.4 million) in January, citing a projected budget deficit.
In the weeks since presenting that initial budget to the Board of Finance, the school board trimmed the request to a 5.3 percent , or $1.9 million, increase. They found some savings in health insurance and staff retirements to whittle the bottom line.
Seymour Board of Education Chairman Chris Champagne said the 5.3 percent ask “is keeping everything level.”
Ultimately the finance board allocated the school board a $1.3 million increase, or 3.6 percent.
Champagne said the finance board’s allocation “means cuts, unless we can convince the Board of Finance to reconsider.”
School Business Manager Salvatore Bucci has said the driving factors in the school budget are 3 to 3.5 percent contractual teacher salary increases which were reached through arbitration, along with big spikes in health insurance, special education and utility costs. There are no new programs, staff hirings or new initiatives included in the school budget, officials said.
As for the town side of the budget, during Tuesday’s (April 5) Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectwoman Trish Danka voiced concerns over the Seymour Events Committee budget. That committee is responsible for putting on town parades, fireworks displays and other festive events.
The committee recommended a budget of about $56,000, but the finance board reduced that request to $5,000. First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis proposed giving the committee $20,000 in her budget. Danka said traditions such as the annual Christmas Parade and the annual Christmas fireworks show won’t be able to happen unless more money is allocated.
Danka, whose husband, Alex Danka, serves as chairman of the committee, said the finance board didn’t look at similar committees and make drastic cuts to their funding requests.
“To decimate any one committee without looking at ‘like committees’ I think is disgusting,” she said. “These events have gone on for years and with these cuts, there will be no Christmas Parade or fireworks or Santa visit.”
Selectman Fred Stanek, a member of the events committee, said the committee’s goal is to host events to enhance the quality of life for residents, and he’s hopeful the finance board has a change of heart.
“Let’s hope the finance board allocates additional funds for these events,” Stanek said.
The finance board opted to use $400,000 from the town’s general fund balance, also known as the rainy day fund, to prevent having to further increase the mill rate.
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