Cheshire officials outline $15 million budget shortfall; public urges protecting schools and services

Town Manager Sean Kimball and Cheshire Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Solon told residents Wednesday night that the Town of Cheshire faces roughly a $15 million gap while preparing the proposed fiscal 2025–26 operating budget.

Kimball said the shortfall stems chiefly from lost state and federal aid, use of one-time funds in the current year and rising debt service tied to recently approved school construction. “We are losing a combined $900,000 this year” in the payment in lieu of taxes and the education cost sharing grant, Kimball said, and the town also lost municipal revenue sharing and a motor vehicle tax-cap reimbursement that together account for several hundred thousand dollars more.

The shortfall, Kimball said, totals about $15,000,000 when combined with expenditure increases: a $6.2 million (about 7 percent) increase in the Board of Education budget, roughly $2.6 million in higher debt service and roughly $1.5 million of recommended increases for town departments. Kimball presented the arithmetic that a mill in Cheshire is worth just over $4 million, and that the gap equates to roughly 3.7 mills under current grand-list assumptions.

Nut graf: The presentation set the stage for public comment on how to close that gap. Officials described roughly $5 million in proposed revenue increases and expenditure reductions already under consideration, leaving further decisions on cuts, staffing and services for the council and the Board of Education to decide in coming weeks. Residents urged officials to prioritize classroom staffing, paraeducators and extracurriculars while also offering suggestions for…