Willington selectmen set temporary mill rate at 26.30 to keep town operating

On July 1, 2026 the Willington Board of Selectmen voted to set a temporary mill rate of 26.30 for fiscal year 2026–2027 so assessors and tax collectors can begin preparing and mailing tax bills while the town awaits a final decision on the education budget.

Board members said attorneys advised using last year’s approved education budget plus a recent legislative allocation to compute the town’s Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR). Board discussion laid out two scenarios: one, the attorney-advised calculation that produced a 26.30 mill rate; and two, a slightly higher figure the Board of Finance had proposed (about 26.49). The board chose the attorney-advised 26.30 figure in part to avoid administrative complications and the risk of having to refund money if a higher number were later reduced by referendum.

A selectman summarized the legal constraint: the MBR prevents towns from reducing local education spending below the prior approved level and, for this year, requires adding the special legislative funding to last year’s baseline. Staff provided a chart showing the two scenarios and explained that the legislative money discussed in the meeting (about $138,264) raises the MBR baseline and therefore affects the mill-rate calculation.

Motion and vote: a motion to set the temporary mill rate at 26.30 was made and seconded; by roll call the motion passed with affirmative votes recorded for Andy Marco, Mr. Maku and Mr. Douly. The board noted that setting the mill rate is an administrative step to keep town operations funded and is not an approval of the education budget itself.

The board’s action allows assessors and revenue staff to proceed with tax-bill production and collection. Officials said they will proceed while the town prepares a town meeting and subsequent referendum on the proposed education budget.