Residents Learn More About Proposed Capital Projects

At a meeting Wednesday night, approximately 50 residents came to learn more about the two capital projects on the November ballot.

While none chose to take advantage of the public comment, they did hear presentations from the architects, a few words from officials and gained information about the tax impact of the projects. 

On Nov. 6, voters can say yes or no to two proposals:

• A $3.615 Million track, multi-use field and parking lot improvement project at Canton High School
• $3.2 Million for partial roof replacements at the Community Center and all three schools ($2.3 Million after federal reimbursement) 

The meeting included presentations on each project, which can be viewed in the attached .pdfs. 

In addition, officials spoke to the tax impact. For all the projects, previous worksheets from town staff showed potential mill-rate increases of less than 2 percent a year through 2025-2026 by factoring in retirement of current debt, refinancing savings and projected grand list and budget increases. 

The new chart, however, shows the tax impact on its own, without any projected budget increases or savings. Due to the way municipal bonds are paid off, the amount would vary year to year but the town did provide yearly averages. 

Using the a home with a market value of $361,429 and an assessed value of $253,000, the average per year tax increase for that homeowner included.

• A 13-year average of $58 per year to fund the track project alone.
• A 13-year average $36 per year for the roof improvements. 
• A 13-year average of $94 per year for both

The sheet also includes numbers for road improvements and a new highway garage. Those two projects were originally slated to be up for a vote as one question. However, selectmen took them off the table after the appraisals for the proposed garage property came in lower than the purchase price. 

First Selectman Richard Barlow told residents Wednesday that the projects will likely come up again in the spring. 

If the both questions on the November ballot passed and the two others stayed at their original prices, the projected 13-year impact for that "average" home owner would be $296 per year for a total of $3,850. 

The complete chart can be viewed here. 

The town's web site also contains other documents pertaining to the questions on the Nov. 6 ballot.