EAST LYME VOTERS APPROVE 2018-19 BUDGET

East Lyme — Voters on Thursday approved the town’s 2018-19 budget of $71,787,140, a spending plan that is 1.35 percent more than the current year’s.

The vote was 526 in favor and 184 opposed, according to First Selectman Mark Nickerson.

The Board of Finance is scheduled to set next year’s tax rate at a special meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall.

The budget calls for $47,576,943 in education spending, a 2.17 percent increase; $18,071,025 for general government, a 0.13 percent decrease; $5,369,986 for debt service, a 0.07 percent decrease; and $769,186 for capital, a 2.84 percent decrease.

Halvordson, a Groton native, previously spent 10 years as a naval architect for General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, serving as a team lead designing the Columbia-class submarine and managing performance of the Virginia payload module insertion.

“We are thrilled to have someone with Alexandra’s technical talents and leadership experience on our team,” David McBride, executive director of TRIP, said in a news release. “Alexandra understands first-hand what is needed to bring together the resources and materials for large-scale undersea and maritime projects. With her engineering and design background, and her passion for service to the community, we are confident Alexandra will provide a tremendous contribution to this important role.”

In a statement, Halvordson said she looks forward to “making a difference” as the inaugural program manager heading the CUSCC program, which was created to establish a professional organization promoting economic development among undersea and maritime supply chain companies across Connecticut.

TRIP is an alliance between public and private partners and