Easton officials brace for budget season as selectmen warn of 9% mill-rate increase

The Easton Board of Selectmen on March 5 began formal work on next year’s budget, with officials urging residents to review proposals and attend the March 23 Budget Public Hearing. Selectman Kristi Sogofsky said the current budget proposal, as presented to the board, would amount to a 9% increase in the mill rate and called for public engagement before the Town Meeting finalizes any change.

First Selectman Dan Lent said the board is weighing an approach that "starts at the current mill rate and works backwards," and that he has spent months researching a segregated maintenance account for the Board of Education and a possible Memorandum of Understanding to define spending and oversight. Lent also said the town is considering opening the library on Sundays if the town finances permit; Tom Herrmann covered a recent budget meeting in Lent’s place while Lent attended a Plum Tree Lane public hearing.

The nut of the issue, Sogofsky said, is timing: the March 23 budget hearing is the primary chance for residents to influence the proposal before it goes to the Town Meeting. "I encourage residents to attend the March 23 Budget Public Hearing and to watch the Board of Finance budget videos that have been posted," she said.

Board members also discussed process questions about attendance at Board of Finance budget meetings. Sogofsky defended selectmen participating in those meetings for informational purposes, saying attendance followed past practice and that no votes were taken while selectmen were present. Selectman Nick D'Addario agreed that selectmen are a core part of public policy and that informational participation was appropriate; First Selectman Lent said he would check whether a joint meeting notice should have been posted.

Lent reported additional budget-related topics under consideration: bundling multiple roof-replacement projects for bonding and the possibility of expanding library hours if supported by the budget. He also noted ongoing work to research a segregated maintenance account for the Board of Education.

The board discussed local and regional advocacy around the proposed sale of Aquarion; Lent said he attended a bipartisan press conference at the State Capitol opposing the sale and noted MetroCog had obtained intervener status, and that Anne Hughes has been working on legislation intended to block the transaction.

Procedural actions at the meeting included approval of the Feb. 5, 2026 minutes and a resolution authorizing First Selectman Dan Lent to sign a state survey grant application that requires a $2,500 town match; the board approved the grant authorization. The board also made appointments and adjourned at 6:53 p.m.

Next steps: the board confirmed the March 23 Budget Public Hearing as the key public engagement opportunity before the Town Meeting; First Selectman Lent agreed to verify the meeting-notice question regarding selectmen attendance at Board of Finance sessions.