Residents concerned about tax hike

First vote turned budget down; second referendum pending

MORRIS >> Residents spoke both for and against a $3,015,086.77 budget proposal during a public hearing in Morris last Thursday, which would prompt a 3.63 mill increase in the town tax rate. Morris’ mill rate is 25.92, according to state records.

This second proposal represents an increase over the first proposed budget totaling $2,834,567. Residents voted 27270 to defeat it.

The second proposal was developed by the Board of Finance after the first budget failed in June in a referendum.

In the first referendum, in response to a second ballot question, 217 voters said that the proposal was too high and 46 said it was too low.

After the vote, the finance board went through the budget line-by-line and ultimately increased the financial plan by adding back in funding for weed control at Bantam Lake and non-recurring capital expenses, and reducing the amount to be drawn from the town’s fund balance to offset the rising tax rate by $150,000.

This action prompted one of the major topics of discussion at last Thursday’s public hearing — the mill rate.

Residents spoke out against the potential increase to their taxes, with some noting the results of the ballot question in their remarks — while others spoke in favor of the proposal.

During the meeting Thursday, residents also suggested measures for bringing in additional revenue or reducing expenses, such as a revaluation of town properties or reducing the First Selectman’s position to part-time.

Board chairman Tracy Martin broke down some of the factors affecting the town’s current financial situation, including a reduction of more than $537,000 in education funding from the state of Connecticut from last year, for those in attendance. $6,462,171 is set aside to send Morris students to Region 6 schools in the coming year.

“As a Board of Finance we say, ‘what is it going to take to run this town?’ And that’s the budget we put forth; that’s the budget we believe in. We don’t like the mill increase — we hate the mill increase,” said Martin.

After the hearing, Board of Finance members and First Selectman Tom Weik mapped out the next steps in the budget process, discussing the possibility of holding a town meeting in two weeks — which would then adjourn to a referendum — then having the referendum the week after.

In the interim, finance board members were directed to come back with proposals for reducing the budget at a special Board of Finance meeting to be held Thursday, July 28.