CANTON, CT — Canton voters rejected a revised $53.8 million town and school budget Tuesday, marking the second consecutive defeat for the proposed 2026-27 spending plan.
According to unofficial referendum results released by town officials, 1,303 voters cast ballots against the proposal, while 1,049 voted in favor.
The rejected budget totaled $53,784,729, a reduction of approximately $1.3 million from the original $55,089,729 proposal, which voters rejected on May 14.
Officials had reduced the proposed budget increase from 8.4% to 5.8% in an effort to address concerns raised after the first referendum.
Under the revised proposal, town officials projected a tax increase of 1.32%, which they estimated would have added about $121 annually to the tax bill of a home assessed at $275,000.
The proposal also lowered the projected mill rate from 35.11 mills under the original budget to 33.94 mills.
Budget reductions included $43,000 from town operations, $375,000 from the Board of Education budget, $430,000 from Board of Finance spending and $457,000 from capital improvement projects.
Town officials said the revisions were designed to respond to voter concerns while preserving funding for education, public safety and infrastructure.
Under the Canton Town Charter, the Canton Board of Finance must now reconvene to make additional revisions to the budget.
Once approved by the board, a new spending plan must be submitted to voters in another referendum.
The charter requires the next budget referendum to be held within 30 days of Tuesday's vote.
The outcome extends Canton’s annual budget process and leaves town officials with the task of developing a third proposal capable of winning voter approval while balancing municipal and education spending priorities.
For the latest Canton budget referendum information, click on this link.
From May 15: 'The Votes Are In, How Did Canton's Budget Vote Go?'
From May 27: 'Canton Budget Battle: Polls Close At 8 p.m. Today: UPDATE'
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