Canton Officials Cut Proposed Budget, New Mill Rate Cuts Taxes

CANTON, CT — Canton officials have proposed nearly $1 million in additional budget reductions after voters rejected the town/school's proposed 2026-27 spending plan for a second consecutive time.

In a message to residents Tuesday, June 9, Canton First Selectman Kevin Witkos said the Canton Board of Finance voted unanimously Monday, June 8, to reduce the proposed budget by a total of $950,000 following the June 2 referendum.

The cuts include $400,000 from the Canton Board of Education budget, $350,000 from the capital improvement budget, $150,000 from the selectmen budget and $50,000 from the finance board budget.

According to Witkos, the reductions will lower the proposed mill rate to 33.20 mills, down from the 33.94 mills included in the budget rejected by voters on June 2.

The proposed mill hike is 0.3 mills lower than the current fiscal year, meaning the tax bill for a home assessed at $275,000 would be $82.50 less this year than last year.

Witkos said that mill rate has already been adopted and will be reflected on the town's tax bills this summer.

"The public will have the option of voicing their opinions on where the reductions should be made before the Board of Selectmen deliberations," Witkos said.

The Canton Board of Selectmen is expected to set June 23 as the date for the next budget referendum.

The referendum date is scheduled to be finalized during the board's June 16 meeting.

The latest changes come after voters rejected a revised $53.8 million town and school budget by a vote of 1,303 to 1,049 on June 2.

The defeated proposal totaled $53,784,729, about $1.3 million less than the original budget that voters rejected during a May 14 referendum.

Town officials had reduced the proposed spending increase from 8.4% to 5.8% between the first and second votes in an effort to address taxpayer concerns.

Under the second proposal, officials estimated that the tax increase would have added approximately $121 annually to the tax bill of a home assessed at $275,000.

The Canton Board of Finance's latest reductions represent Canton officials' third attempt to craft a budget that can win voter approval while maintaining town and school services.

Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed reductions before the Canton Board of Selectmen finalizes the budget package for the June 23 referendum.

From June 3: 'Canton Voters Make Decision In 2nd Budget Vote Tuesday'