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Mayor presents FY26-27 budget with 23% mill-rate cut; meeting recessed to July 17
Summary
The mayor presented the town and Board of Education budgets for fiscal year 2026-27, proposing a mill rate reduction from 30.96 to 23.78 and outlining department increases and staffing changes; the joint hearing recessed to July 17 at 7 p.m. for further deliberation.
New Milford’s mayor presented the proposed fiscal year 2026-27 mayoral, town and Board of Education budgets and said the town is proposing a mill rate reduction from 30.96 to 23.78, which he described as a 23% decrease. The mayor said the combined town and education budget totals $128,354,894, with the town side at $49,581,236 and the Board of Education at $78,773,658.
The mayor said New Milford has faced several recent fiscal challenges, including a change in the state’s motor vehicle tax treatment and two major lawsuits from the 1990s that the town settled without issuing bonds or levying a supplemental tax. He briefed the council and board on the town’s fiscal calendar, noting municipal fiscal years run July 1–June 30, and reiterated that the town distributed budget books that include the supplemental budget and a five‑year capital plan.
On the property tax front, the mayor stated, “We are the first town in Connecticut to use the homestead exemption,” and said the current property revaluation shifts a larger share of the tax burden to residential properties. He said he has asked the Connecticut delegation to sponsor legislation to allow the town to classify non-owner and second homes so the town can better calibrate property taxes.
The mayor described adjustments on the town side to keep the budget “lean and responsible,” saying he reduced department requests by $3,262,137. He gave several line-item increases: health care costs up about $578,000; an information-technology/cybersecurity increase of $150,140 “to continue to harden our network;” first-responder operating costs up $292,422; land use increases of $71,453 to add a staff member to shadow a retiring zoning employee; and building maintenance up roughly $70,000.
The mayor acknowledged Finance Director Olga for preparing the budget materials. He closed the presentation and moved to recess; the joint meeting was recessed and rescheduled for July 17 at 7 p.m. The transcript records one attendee saying, “I oppose,” during the voice vote but no roll-call tally or named vote counts were provided in the record.
Next steps: the mayor said staff and council members will continue deliberations with town departments on the proposed budget and capital plan at the July 17 meeting.
