Canton's Budget Passes Even Though It Was Shot Down At The Polls

CANTON, CT — Voters in Canton Tuesday clearly said "no" to a town/school spending plan that will increase taxes significantly this year.

But not enough came out in Tuesday's referendum vote for that to matter.

According to Canton First Selectman Robert Bessel, less than 10 percent of voters in town came out to the Canton Community Center Tuesday to vote on town spending.

As a result, because of Canton's charter, the budget "passed" even though voters "rejected" the spending package with 214 in favor and 332 against, Bessel said.

A $46.75 million town/school budget will go into place at the start of the new fiscal year July 1.

Bessel said the vote totals for the referendum fell short of the 776 voters needed for the budget vote to be official. Only 546 voters turned up.

"It's not a great result," Bessel said in a social media post.

As a result of Tuesday's budget vote, Bessel called on residents to participate in their town's affairs, whether it be changing the charter so budgets cannot be passed even though voters say "no" to, simply, coming out to vote.

While town officials always want to go into the new fiscal year with a budget, Bessel said this isn't the best way for that to happen.

"The bottom line: Democracy works when we participate," Bessel said, also stating public participation in budget meetings, town correspondance and, even, public hearings, was low.

"We cannot expect that someone else will read our minds," he said. "We need to hear from you."

This July, when tax bills go out, there's a good chance that many taxpayers will be experiencing a bit of sticker shock.

The combined town and school budget is 7 percent larger than current spending, necessitating a mill rate hike from 33.69 to 35.37.

For a home assessed at $300,000, taxes will increase by $504, meaning taxpayers will have to pay that much more than what their tax bill was a year ago.

From May 4: 'Voters To Decide Canton Budget, Taxes On Tuesday'