Selectmen debate adding advisory ballot questions to annual budget; legal and machine limits noted

The Willington Board of Selectmen discussed whether to authorize a nonbinding advisory question on the annual budget referendum — for example, asking voters whether the budget is "too high" or "too low" — and whether the town's ordinances and voting equipment would allow that approach.

First Selectman reviewed Connecticut statute 7-344 and explained that state law permits advisory referendum questions but that the town’s current budget-adoption ordinance includes language requiring a machine vote and referendum that some attorneys might read as excluding advisory questions unless the ordinance is amended. He said the town attorney recommended a targeted text change to allow nonbinding advisory questions while keeping the required referendum procedures intact.

Board members also noted a practical constraint: the town’s voting machine can record only two options without costly programming changes, which would limit the format of any advisory question (for example, to "too high" or "too low" rather than a three-option question). Registrars will check with the vendor about how such advisory responses would be counted in practice.

Members generally supported the idea of adding the option to use advisory questions in the future but agreed the board should amend ordinance text first and obtain the town attorney’s formal guidance on publication and hearing procedures tied to population thresholds and the annual budget meeting. No ordinance amendment was adopted at this session; First Selectman said the attorney would provide a written interpretation for a future meeting.