Simsbury Board of Finance approves operating and capital budgets and sets May 9 referendum

The Board of Finance voted unanimously April 22 to approve the town’s operating and capital budgets and to place four referendum questions before voters on May 9, 2025.

Finance presenter Amy (identified in the meeting as a member of the finance team) told the board the town expects an operating-year revenue surplus of about $2,300,000, driven by stronger tax collections, supplemental motor-vehicle revenues and higher interest and permit receipts. Amy said the expected surplus is net of an anticipated special-education overage from the Board of Education and other line‑item variances.

The surplus and operating projections informed a series of motions the board approved. The board also agreed to use a portion of the town’s self‑insured health plan reserves to offset major medical cost increases rather than drawing general fund reserves. The finance director confirmed the use of health reserves follows the recommendations from the town’s benefits adviser and is within the consultant’s suggested limits.

Why it matters: The votes authorize the town to proceed to referendum on a set of operating, special‑revenue, capital and debt questions that, if approved by voters, will determine final tax and spending levels for fiscal 2025–26. The board’s decision to apply health fund reserves to near‑term medical cost pressures reduces immediate pressure on the general fund balances but uses a portion of the town’s insurance reserves.

Key details and context - Revenue outperformance: The tax department’s collections and supplemental motor‑vehicle receipts were cited as the largest single contributors to the projected revenue surplus; Amy reported a tax collection rate near 98.5‑99 percent and additional motor‑vehicle revenue of roughly $600,000. The finance presenter also cited higher spring permit activity and elevated interest income from investments placed earlier in the fiscal year. - Expenditure drivers: Salary savings from vacancies produced town-side savings; the remaining projected budget variance is an anticipated Board of Education overage driven by special‑education tuition and transportation costs. The presenter listed a worst‑case special‑education overage of roughly $424,000 for the year and noted the Board of Education may use its non‑lapsing fund to cover that amount. - Reserves: The board approved using designated health‑insurance reserves to cover certain major medical budget items rather than using general fund reserves; finance staff confirmed the planned use is consistent with the town’s reserve policy and the health consultant’s recommendation. - Outreach and next steps: The board confirmed the referendum will be held Friday, May 9, 2025, with polling arranged as in prior years. The town will publish the full budget document in the local paper and distribute a mailed budget memo before the vote.

Votes at a glance (approved unanimously unless noted) - Amend agenda to approve draft annual report following possible budget action — approved. - Close public hearing — approved. - Approve Board of Selectmen operating budget: $29,624,001 — approved. - Approve Board of Education operating budget: $88,261,001 — approved. - Approve Nonpublic schools budget: $562,110 — approved. - Approve Debt Service budget: $9,554,857 — approved. - Approve Sewer Use Fund (sewer treatment plant) budget: $5,082,546 — approved. - Approve Parks & Recreation special revenue fund budget (including a clerical transfer for Memorial Point): $2,953,495 — approved. - Approve Residential Property special revenue fund budget: $53,850 — approved. - Approve other special revenue funds as presented (includes line items such as a $1,596 allocation for the Clean Energy Task Force) — approved. - Approve Capital Non‑Recurring (CNR) project appropriations for FY25–26 totaling $3,365,907, with project caps and transfer rules as described in the motion — approved. - Approve Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) project appropriations as presented (motion text recorded in minutes; bond counsel and resolutions attached to minutes) — approved. - Waive reading of full bond resolution texts (copies provided and attached to minutes) — approved. - Refer four referendum questions to the voters for May 9, 2025: 1) Board of Education and Nonpublic schools appropriations (combined): $88,823,111 (question text as read into the record) — to be submitted to voters. 2) Board of Selectmen appropriations: $29,624,001 — to be submitted to voters. 3) Combined special‑revenue funds (sewer, residential property, parks & rec): $8,089,891 — to be submitted to voters. 4) Capital, capital non‑recurring and debt service appropriations: $16,103,435 — to be submitted to voters.

Board discussion and process notes Board members repeatedly emphasized that the budget reflects multi‑month review and line‑by‑line reductions; several members said the board tightened the capital plan and used a combination of one‑time capital reserves and line‑item savings to hold the overall increase down from earlier projections. Board members also noted the impact of state cost shifts (notably special‑education costs) and rising construction/inflation pressures as factors that will complicate budgeting in the coming fiscal year.

Critical clarifications recorded in the meeting - Notices and outreach: The board said the purchase of a property related to special education was reviewed by the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Education and the Board of Finance; public notices ran in the Hartford Courant and in town communications (presentation materials and a recorded Board of Education presentation were flagged as sources for residents seeking additional detail). - Reserve use: The finance director/benefits adviser recommended a limited draw from the health insurance reserves; the board confirmed that recommendation and that the draw would not exceed the consultant’s suggested fraction of reserves.

Proper names mentioned in this article: Board of Finance; Board of Education; Board of Selectmen; Hartford Courant; Clean Energy Task Force; Simsbury Community Media (SCM).

Provenance - topicintro: block_0 [local_start:0,local_end:96] evidence_excerpt: "Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the annual budget hearing continuation for the fiscal year 25, 26 budget. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance." (timecode approx. 0.32–10.5) - topfinish: block_3532 [local_start:0,local_end:128] evidence_excerpt: "So we now have a budget to go to referendum. When do we think the referendum will be? Friday, May 9. It's the same, schedule as last year." (timecode approx. 3411.85–3420.635)

Topics [{"name":"municipal-budget","justification":"Central subject: approval of operating, special‑revenue, capital and debt budgets and setting referendum date","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.99,"depth_score":0.85,"opinionatedness":0.05,"controversy":0.35,"civic_salience":0.92,"impactfulness":0.88,"geo_relevance":1.00}}]

Clarifying details [{"category":"anticipated_revenue_surplus","detail":"Projected revenues surplus","value":2300000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Amy"},{"category":"special_education_overage","detail":"Projected Board of Education special-education tuition/transportation overage (worst case)","value":424000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Amy"},{"category":"health_reserve_use","detail":"Major medical line offset using health insurance reserves","value":113083,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Board member (motion discussion)"},{"category":"referendum_date","detail":"Date of referendum to vote the budget questions","value":"2025-05-09","source_speaker":"Board chair"}]

Community relevance {"geographies":["Simsbury, CT"],"funding_sources":["local property tax","health insurance reserves"],"impact_groups":["all property taxpayers","students receiving special education services","town employees"]}

Meeting context {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":20,"duration_minutes":240,"items_count":30},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2025-04-22","note":"Budget hearing continuation; multiple board and public reviews prior to final motions"}]}

Searchable_tags:["Simsbury","budget","referendum","Board of Finance","special education","health reserves","CIP","CNR","debt service"]

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