How badly do town leaders want a ‘Yes’ vote on the proposed $49.4 million budget?
They opened town hall on Friday — when it’s usually closed — to host a press conference in order to get the message out.
“We implore the taxpayers to exercise their democratic right and vote this Tuesday on the budget,” Board of Finance chairman Mark Thompson told a small group of reporters Friday afternoon.
Tuesday is the town’s third budget referendum, and the clock is ticking before the town’s self-imposed deadline to pass a budget plan by June 15.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Seymour Community Center on Pine Street.
The Details
The leaders of the school and finance board, along with First Selectman Paul Roy, said they have crafted a budget that allows for less than 1 percent increase in spending over the current budget, but would require a 3.78 percent increase in taxes.
Owners of homes assessed at $200,000 would pay an extra $196 in taxes if voters approve the proposed mill rate of 26.78.
Voters rejected two previous budget proposals.
About 1,794 people voted in the first referendum, and about 1,703 voted in the second referendum.
There are about 9,500 registered voters in Seymour, although anyone who owns taxable property in town can vote on the budgets.
Impact
Failure to approve the third budget proposal Tuesday could spell the end of “highly desired” services to Seymour residents, Thompson said.
Recycling pickup, property tax freezes for seniors, parade and youth sports league support, recreation, the library, culture and arts performances and the elderly services department, as well as The Strand, could all be on the chopping block if the referendum fails, Thompson said.
“This is not a list of threats, but it represents reality,” Thompson said. “The next places we go to look for other reductions are going to be services, even those highly desired by the townspeople.”
To get to the current budget, the town will not fill a vacancy expected at the end of the year, which could save about $18,000.
Roy is still in negotiations with unions, but said Friday that “everyone has agreed, but negotiations are still going on” for a universal wage freeze and a one-week furlough for town employees.
“The employees understand the need to give back in order for the budget to pass,” Roy said.
Click the video at left to see his reaction after the second budget failed.
On the school side, the budget is already at the bare minimum allowed by state.
The school budget is proposed to have no increase over its current $21 million, which school board Chairman Ed Strumello said will mean layoffs.
He declined to say which departments would be affected.
“We’re trying to minimize the impact, but there will be some staff and some programs affected,” said Strumello. “I don’t care where you cut in an educational organization. It goes down from the central office to the custodians, administrators — and all of those have an impact on children.”
If the budget fails on Tuesday, town officials have one more vote scheduled before the town charter’s deadline — June 15.
If the town doesn’t have a budget by June 15, the most recently rejected budget will go into effect temporarily, until a final budget passes at referendum, according Roy.
But initial tax bills, which go out shortly after June 15, will be based on whatever budget is in effect, with corrected tax bills sent out at a later date.
Issuing new tax bills for everyone in town, Roy said, could cost upward of $20,000.
Click here to read all past stories on the Seymour budget.
