Wilton superintendent to present school budget plan
WILTON — School Superintendent Kevin Smith will present his proposed budget for the 2024-25 year during Thursday’s school board meeting.
“The proposal is developed by the Superintendent and presented to the school board for review and discussion,” Wilton Public School said in a statement.
In November, Wilton’s Board of Finance unanimously adopted guidance recommending a mill rate increase of 4 percent. This guidance was meant to aid the school board and Board of Selectmen as they proposed budgets.
The finance board had considered models that forecasted a 5.4 percent increase to the mill rate. A mill is equal to $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. Property tax is calculated by multiplying the assessment of a property by the mill rate and dividing by 1,000.
“The board unanimously decided that while the 5.4% increase would not be a mill rate increase acceptable to the residents of the town, there would still need to be an increase to cover unavoidable expense increases,” the Board of Finance’s newsletter said. “The Board ultimately decided that guidance of a 4.0% mill rate increase balanced both the needs of the town, an increase at or above contractual wage increases, and the desires of Wilton’s taxpayers.”
The guidance was released prior to the completion of the mandated revaluation of property values in town.
“Residents should note that given that the revaluation is still ongoing, this guidance did not take any changes to the existing grand list into account,” the finance board said.
Once the Board of Education budget is presented, the board will go through a series of meetings and workshops before a final budget is approved. The meeting schedule is as follows.
• Tuesday, Jan 23: BOE Budget Workshop 1 to 3 p.m. Miller-Driscoll, Cider Mill, Middlebrook
• Wednesday, Jan. 24: BOE Budget Workshop 1 to 3 p.m. WHS and Athletics, Special Education
• Thursday, Jan 25: BOE Budget Workshop 1 to 3 p.m. Digital Learning, Technology, District
• Thursday, Jan 25: Board of Education Regular Meeting 7 p.m. Budget Deliberations begin
• Thursday, Feb1: 7 p.m. Joint Meeting with Board of Finance, Budget Deliberations
• Thursday, Feb 8: Board of Education Regular Meeting 7 p.m. BOE Budget Approval
“To stay informed and engaged throughout the budget process, we encourage you to attend the meetings and to review the presentations and recordings of important budget meetings, which will be posted on this webpage,” Wilton Public Schools said.
Last year, Smith recommended a $91.8 million budget that would have increased spending by the largest amount in eight years. Voters ultimately approved a $90.2 million budget, a 4.5 percent increase from the prior year.
The Board of Selectmen will hold discussions on the municipal budget in late January through March. Residents will ultimately vote in the spring on the town and school budgets.