Canton Voters Shoot Down Town/School Spending

CANTON, CT — With a recently completed revaluation already causing uneven tax impacts for many, voters easily told leaders Tuesday they're not comfortable with proposed town/school budgets for 2024-25.

Referendum voters easily shot down a combined $49.35 million town/education budget for 2024-25 with 944 "no" votes and only 689 "yes" votes. Voter turnout was about 21 percent.

The overall spending plan was larger than current spending, but the tax impact it would have had on individual taxpayers would have varied.

Because of a recent revaluation of taxable property in town, many residents were facing steep tax hikes already due to increases in their property values.

Voters at a town meeting last month approved a plan to phase in the tax impact from the revaluation over four years instead of all at once.

But that phase-in plan didn't seem to impact voters wary of the spending packages.

Included in the Canton budgets were:

• A $33.46 million board of education budget, which is 5.39 percent larger than the current school spending plan.

• A $13.67 million town general government budget, which was 5.32 percent larger than current spending.

• A $1.21 million capital improvement project budget, a 2.88 percent increase.

Now the budgets will go back to the Canton Board of Finance, which will make necessary adjustments before a second referendum before the new fiscal year, which starts July 1.

For more information on the Canton town/school budgets, including complete figures, click on this link.