Ellington Revisits Budget After Narrow Rejection

ELLINGTON, CT — Ellington officials are scheduled to resume budget deliberations Thursday after voters rejected the town’s revised 2026-27 spending plan earlier this week.

The Board of Finance is set to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 11, in the upper level of Town Hall.

First Selectman Laurie Burstein urged residents to attend, saying in a public post that “hard decisions are going to have to be made.”

“It’s always important to hear your voice,” Burstein wrote.

The meeting comes after the town’s second budget referendum failed Tuesday by 48 votes, with 1,073 residents voting no and 1,025 voting yes, according to the town.

The first referendum also failed in May, after which the Board of Finance made about $1.5 million in revenue adjustments and spending reductions before sending the revised budget back to voters.

A third referendum is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23. Absentee ballots are expected to be available in the Town Clerk’s office beginning Monday, June 15, according to the town.

If the third referendum fails, the town has said its charter directs that the current fiscal year’s budget become the temporary budget while officials continue working toward an adopted spending plan.