By DANIEL P. JONES
Courant Staff Writer
May 21, 2008
The town will hold a referendum next
month on the $215.9 million adopted budget for 2008-09.
As expected, the town clerk's office has certified that a local taxpayers'
group collected more than enough signatures to force a referendum.
Town Clerk Essie Labrot recommended to the town
council that the referendum be held June 10. The council is expected at its
meeting next Tuesday to schedule the referendum. On the day of voting, polling
locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Labrot on Monday sent a memorandum to the town
council indicating that her office had certified 2,324 signatures — 80 more
than needed to satisfy a requirement to have signatures from at least 6 percent
of registered voters.
The council, by a party-line vote with six Democrats supporting the budget and
three Republicans opposing it, adopted a $215.9 million municipal budget April
22.
The budget calls for a 6.9 percent increase in spending and would mean an extra
$515.40 in property taxes a year for the average homeowner in town — someone
with a house with a $354,000 market value after the 2006 revaluation.
The budget would require a property tax rate of 37.64 mills, a decrease of 0.99
mills from the current rate. A mill represents $1 of property tax for every
$1,000 of assessed value.