Community Corner

Vernon Budget Referendum Set for May 1

Voting has been scheduled for Center 375.

The Town Council on Tuesday set a referendum date of May 1 for the public to decide the fate of the $80.5 million budget proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The vote, 11-1 with Democrat Marie Herbst dissenting, took place after the annual budgetary Town Meeting at Rockville High School. Voting will be at Center 375 on Hartford Turnpike.

The budget plan totals $80,599,160. That represents an increase of $1,305,411 over the $79.2 spending plan for the current fiscal year.

It is an overall increase of 1.65 percent, Finance Officer and Treasurer James Luddecke said.

General government totals $26,172,367, an increase of $599,988.

Capital improvement and debt service total $6,245,796, $13,216 less than this year's total.

The appropriation for Education is being proposed at $48,180,997, an increase of $718,639.

Mayor George Apel had proposed an $81,346,432 budget. The council took out $747,272.

The budget proposal would force taxes to increase from their current level of 29.9 mills to 33.63, an increase of 3.73 mills.

Luddecke said an increase of .7 mill can be attributed to taxes. The remaining 3.03 is the end result of the town getting hammered on the grand list in a revaluation year with a struggling economy, he said.

A wide range of comments were presented at the Town Meeting. Some residents argued the budget should be rejected to add more for education. Others made the same argument for public safety. Some said that a rejection does not necessarily translate to additional appropriations. 

Check out Vernon Patch on Wednesday morning for a more detailed story on the annual budgetary Town Meeting.


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