STAFFORD — An unusually low number of voters rejected the proposed $45 million budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year by a 290-267 margin in Wednesday’s referendum, prompting the Board of Finance to approve further cuts to the spending plan after polls closed.
The failed budget included a $1.9 million, or 4.3%, spending increase over the current year and would have required a tax rate of 36.23 mills for real estate and personal property in order to fund it. One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in assessed property value.
To respond to the town’s voters, the Board of Finance voted 3-2 to reduce the proposed budget by $300,000 in their meeting immediately following the referendum to curtail the total amount of spending, with Richard Shuck and alternate Conrado Ulloa opposed.
Of this, $200,000 will come out of the Board of Education budget, and $100,000 will come out of the municipal budget. The change would cause the tax rate to increase by about 0.9 mills from the current rate of 34.93 mills, Board of Finance member Steven Geryk said.
Board of Finance members expressed confusion at the low voter turnout, as well as why voters were against the proposed budget.
“It was a very close vote, and a very low vote, the lowest that I can ever remember,” Board of Finance member David Walsh said. He said that because of the close margin of 23 votes, “there’s no indication there of any ground swell of dissatisfaction. People just didn’t bother to vote.”
“We’re fighting apathy here,” said Ulloa, adding, “we don’t even know what they’re voting no for.”
Walsh warned against making too large a spending cut, saying, “Students have lost so much … to me an increase in investment just seems like the thing to do.”
First Selectman Sal Titus, who attended the meeting, said, “We’re going to be short on a lot of things and people need to realize that.”
The selectmen will now be tasked with selecting a date for the next referendum. Before then, the town will hold another town meeting that will give the public a chance to provide input on a new budget, officials said Wednesday night.
Ben covers Coventry and Tolland for the Journal Inquirer.
