Farmington to send $143.24M budget, $14.34M school HVAC bond and $4M roads bond to April 30 referendum

Farmingtonofficials presented the town-council recommended budget for fiscal year 2026'27 and advanced three bond questions to a townwide referendum on April 30, 2026.

Town Manager Kathy Palansky told the assembly the recommended total budget for 2026'27 is $143,244,394, an increase of $6,478,962 (4.74%) above the current year. "The total recommended budget for fiscal year 2627 is $143,244,394, an increase of 6,478,962 or 4.74% above the current budget," Palansky said during her presentation.

The recommended general fund operating budget includes increases across several departments, Palansky said, with public safety up about 5.5% and public works up about 6.3%. The manager also described a new special revenue fund to support a regional public-safety dispatch center: $1,196,526 of operating support is included in the budget, with remaining costs expected to be offset by state grant funding and contract payments from Avon and Burlington, which Palansky said results in a $564,118 reduction to the town's operating budget under the proposed structure.

Palansky said the capital-improvement plan includes a recommended general-fund appropriation of $4,237,000 and two bonding questions on the referendum: a $14,339,152 appropriation for ventilation/HVAC upgrades at four elementary schools and a $4,000,000 appropriation for road and drainage repairs. She said the district expects approximately 31.79% state reimbursement for the school HVAC work. "These projects provide conditioned air and are part of a state requirement that fresh air be brought into all schools throughout the year," Superintendent Jess Janini said when presenting the district's capital request.

The Board of Education presented an operating request of $86,858,554. Superintendent Janini outlined budget drivers including negotiated salary obligations, a recommended increase in health-care and benefits (reported in the presentation as roughly 9.4%), and a mix of program and staffing adjustments; the proposal adds several special-education positions while reducing seven elementary positions based on enrollment projections. Janini also described district capital needs, listing $1,150,000 in general fund capital requests plus the $14,339,152 bonded HVAC package for Noah Wallace, Union, East Farm and West District elementary schools.

Speakers from the public asked questions about specific capital items and operating cost impacts. Resident Tim Kelly questioned a $350,000 supplemental appropriation for the police station roof, asking why that item appeared after prior bond work. Town staff responded that roof bids exceeded earlier estimates and the $350,000 is a supplemental appropriation to cover higher bid amounts.

Kelly also raised concerns about the town's debt load when discussing the HVAC proposal, asking whether the district has indoor-temperature studies supporting full HVAC installation and noting that historical outside temperatures show relatively few days above state guidance. "Today in Farmington, we're carrying an historic level of debt," Kelly said. Superintendent Janini and a district staff member (identified in the meeting as Sam) said the district monitors classroom temperatures on the hottest days, conducts mandated annual indoor-air-quality surveys, and performed equipment testing after COVID; Janini said prior reports recommended bringing filtered fresh air into buildings and that the HVAC bond would both ventilate and provide conditioned air. The district estimated additional electricity costs for operating new HVAC across the four buildings at roughly $100,000 per year, and said maintenance and service contracts would add ongoing costs but did not provide precise maintenance figures at the meeting.

All motions taken at the meeting were approved by voice vote and will be decided by voters at the April 30, 2026 referendum. Actions advanced to referendum include approval of the town report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025; the town-council recommended 2026'27 budget; the $14,339,152 appropriation for elementary-school ventilation/HVAC upgrades; and the $4,000,000 appropriation for road and drainage repairs. The moderator reminded attendees that town-meeting approval sends measures to the referendum and is not the final voter decision.

The meeting adjourned after the motions were moved and approved; the referendum will be held at regular polling places on April 30 between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.