Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Simsbury boards propose FY27 budget that would raise combined mill rate to 35.06 including fire district
Summary
Tri‑board presentations outlined a proposed FY27 town and education budget that yields a 33.73 mill rate for town and education (2.15% increase) and 35.06 combined with the independent fire district (2.63% combined increase). Boards cited limited grand‑list growth, rising debt service and fixed costs as major constraints.
Board of Finance member Lisa Hefner opened the March 10 public hearing by presenting the tri‑board budget framework and the tax impact on a sample $450,000 home: an annual increase of about $284 (roughly $24 per month) for town and education, and a combined increase of about $283 when the fire district levy is included.
"The proposed board of education and board of selectmen budgets will require a mill rate of 33.73," Hefner said, adding that the fire district is an independent taxing district and its estimated mill rate this year is 1.33, bringing the total to 35.06.
Why it matters: presenters told residents most local revenue comes from property taxes (about 87%) and that fixed costs — including debt service and negotiated salaries and benefits — consume roughly 82% of the operating budget, leaving limited discretionary funding. The board highlighted a small projected grand‑list growth of 0.9%, which will yield about $1 million in new revenue but will not absorb long‑term pressure from increasing debt obligations.
Board of Finance and staff walked through major budget drivers: a townwide operating budget near $131 million, growing debt service (about $4 million more since 2020), lower non‑tax revenue (projected interest income down roughly 25%), and increasing health and retirement costs. The presentation explained a debt‑smoothing plan that draws on capital reserves ($900,000 in the current plan) to blunt short‑term spikes in debt service.
Board of Education chair Jeff Tim, speaking for the schools, presented the education share: a 2.79% increase driven primarily by salary and benefit costs, which account for roughly 90% of the BOE's cost increases. Tim said the board proposed reductions totaling about $1.15 million (roughly 5.8 full‑time equivalents) and limited targeted additions to address caseloads in special education and speech services. He noted per‑pupil spending of $21,751 and high AP pass rates as measures the district used to justify investments.
The boards emphasized the difference between town budgets and the fire district: "The fire district is wholly independent," presenters said, and while the town collects taxes on behalf of the district, the board does not control the fire district budget.
Next steps: the boards extended the public hearing to April 21 for additional comment and review; staff will supply quarterly updates on investments and health‑insurance claims and prepare motions and line‑item materials for the April meeting.
Ending: the hearing moved from presentation into public audience and a multi‑topic discussion; the board emphasized that changes to proposed budgets remain possible before any final vote or referendum.
