Avon Sending Same Budget To Voters, Hopes For Different Results

AVON, CT — How the town will operate its schools and services, as well as how much it will cost taxpayers, will again be decided at the polls this Friday, June 7.

For the second time, Avon voters will cast ballots to decide a town/school spending plan, this one mostly the same as the one soundly rejected at the polls last month.

And, as with every budget referendum in Avon, a turnout of 9 percent or greater is required for the referendum to be valid. Otherwise, it is approved, regardless of the vote tally.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Avon Senior Center, 635 West Avon Road, Avon.

Again, the bottom line for town/school spending stands at $116.09 million, a figure nearly $6 million more than current spending.

Local officials estimate a property tax hike of slightly less than 3 percent, though the recently completed revaluation greatly impacts the individual taxpayer.

The 2.96-percent average tax-hike estimate was tweaked by finance officials following the first vote, which had an average tax hike (not including the revaluation) of slightly more than 3 percent.

Last month, voters resoundingly shot down a $116.09 million town/school budget. The vote was 299 "yes" votes to 1,378 "no" votes.

Voter turnout exceeded the 9 percent, charter-mandated threshold for a vote to be valid on the budget. It was 12.4 percent.

If less than 9 percent of voters turn out on June 7, the budget is automatically approved, regardless of what the votes say.

How this budget will impact individual taxpayers depends on the new, post-revaluation assessments.

Because of the recently completed revaluation, it doesn't mean taxes will decrease even though the proposed mill rate will be much smaller.

The Town of Avon had set up a web page that allowed taxpayers to calculate their tax bill based on that proposed 2024-25 budget going to voters.

For more information on all of Avon's 2024-24 town/school budget proposals, click on this link.

To calculate how the 2024-25 budgets would have impacted your taxes in Avon, click on this link.

From May 16: 'Voters Destroy Avon's Town/School Budgets'