West Haven council adopts 2025–26 budget, sets mill rate at 25.58 and approves quarterly real‑estate payments

The West Haven City Council on May 1 approved Mayor Dorinda Borer’s recommended fiscal 2025–26 budget, set the city mill rate at 25.58 mills and authorized a separate Allingtown Fire Department levy and sewer budget while moving real‑estate and sewer tax payments to four quarterly installments.

Council action came after the clerk read a resolution authorizing the city’s expenditures and capital nonrecurring appropriations for fiscal 2025–26 and setting tax and sewer schedules. The resolution, as read into the record, authorized city expenditures and capital nonrecurring of $187,129,817, set the general mill rate at 25.58 mills and the motor vehicle mill rate at 25.58 mills; authorized Allingtown Fire Department expenditures of $9,690,048 and set the Allingtown fire mill rate at 8.43 mills with an Allingtown motor vehicle mill rate of 3.00 mills; and authorized sewer expenditures of $14,273,940 with sewer use fees of $511.

“The high level overview is exactly what it sounds like for quarterly payments,” Mr. Gormley, a staff member who addressed the council during discussion, said. He explained the change spreads real‑estate and sewer payments across four due dates — July 1, Oct. 1, Jan. 1 and April 1 — instead of the town’s typical two‑installment schedule. “If you have a $1,000 tax bill, normally it would have been $500 due in July and $500 due in January. Now we’re looking at $250, $250, $250, $250,” Mr. Gormley said, noting mortgage escrow practices can affect how and when taxpayers actually remit funds.

Council members asked procedural questions about the quarterly schedule and its interaction with mortgage escrows. Mr. Gormley told the council taxpayers may continue to pay in two installments if they prefer and that mortgage companies handle escrows differently, which could affect timing for some property owners.

During a roll call vote, the council recorded individual yea and nay votes and the clerk announced the motion carried by majority. The roll call in the meeting record lists votes as follows: Councilman Brian Locks — yes; Councilwoman Anne Heffernan — yes; Councilwoman Ruby Melton — yes; Councilwoman Sarah Akparelli — yes; Councilman Gary Donovan — yes; Councilman Edward McMillan — yes; Councilwoman Dawn Callahan — yes; Councilwoman Catherine Tucker — yes; Councilman Christopher Vargo — yes; Councilwoman Katie Mueller — yes; Councilman Steven Johnstone — no; Chairman Nicholas Pascale — yes; Councilwoman Melly Garthwaite — recorded in the meeting record as having initially passed and later recorded as no during the roll call (see action notes).

The council cited General Statutes Section 12‑142 in setting the tax payment schedule. The clerk read the payment dates into the record as July 1, 2025; Oct. 1, 2025; Jan. 1, 2026; and April 1, 2026.

By approving the resolution the council set the tax and sewer schedules for the city for fiscal 2025–26 and authorized the appropriations and mill rates included in the text read into the record. The clerk closed the meeting after the council voted to adjourn.