Mayor presents 2025–26 budget with 2.6% increase; public hearing highlights education, revaluation, sewer and fire funding

Mayor (West Haven) presented a proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget at a special public hearing April 3 at West Haven High School, telling residents the plan represents a 2.6% increase from the current budget and includes investments in education, public safety, infrastructure and debt reduction. "Our finances as we stand today, we will be ending with a $2,000,000 surplus and this year it's building our fund balance . . . to an unprecedented $21,000,000," the mayor said, adding the administration recovered a $1,000,000 insurance claim and secured multiple grant awards.

The hearing drew city officials, school leaders, fire commissioners and scores of residents who both praised recent fiscal improvements and pressed the council to protect education funding and address long‑standing infrastructure problems. The mayor and the board of education superintendent framed the contested items: the mayor described how audit work and restructuring improved the city’s credit profile and finances, and the superintendent warned that further cuts to the school budget would hurt student services.

Why this matters: The hearing is the formal public comment step in the city’s charter process before the council deliberates and sets a final mill rate. The budget affects tax bills after a statewide revaluation that many residents said sharply raised assessed values and, for some homeowners, their tax burden despite a lower mill rate.

Mayor’s overview and budget drivers

The mayor described the administration’s financial work since taking office, telling the council that the city delivered overdue audits for 2022–24, cleared material weaknesses cited by auditors, and earned three credit‑rating upgrades (two from Standard & Poor’s and one from Moody’s). She said $10,000,000 in new grants is already in use, and listed specific awards and uses: $2,000,000 for boardwalk and beach upgrades, $1,700,000…