Berlin Voters Blast Budgets

BERLIN, CT — Nearly 10 percent of registered voters in town made it clear Tuesday night they were opposed to town and school spending plans brought before them for next fiscal year.

In two separate questions, voters rejected Berlin's general government budget with 1,070 "no" votes to 420 "yes" votes and the school budget with 1,182 "no" votes to 332 "yes" votes.

Advisory questions attached to the budget questions showed a majority of voters thought the town budget was too high and the school budget was too low.

The combined $102.82 million town/school budget for 2024-25 carried a 2.2-percent tax hike.

Town and finance officials now have some work to do, with a second budget referendum slated to occur May 28.

The rejected 2024-25 budget plan would have increased the town's tax rate from 29.56 to 30.21 mills — a 0.65-mill hike.

That meant a homeowner with a house assessed at $300,000 would have had to pay $195 extra in taxes this year compared to a year ago.

The combined spending plan included a $50.57 million general government budget and a $52.25 million education budget for Berlin schools.

Overall, the combined budget was 3.22 percent larger than current spending, with the general government budget 3.72 percent bigger and the education spending plan 2.75 percent larger.

For more information on Berlin's April 30 budget referendum, click on this link.

From April 25: 'Berlin Spending/Taxes Go Before Voters Tuesday'