Results Revealed In 3rd Guilford Budget Referendum Vote

GUILFORD, CT — For Guilford voters, the third time is the charm.

According to results announced by the town, residents approved the proposed $127.9 million budget for 2026-2027 on Tuesday, with 3,242 voting in favor and 2,351 voting against.

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This was the third referendum vote this year. Voters previously rejected the proposed spending plan on April 21 and May 19.

Following the second referendum vote, the Board of Finance voted unanimously to cut an additional $700,000 in spending from the combined budget — $525,000 from the Board of Education side, and $175,000 from the Board of Selectmen side.

Board of Selectmen cuts included:

• Elimination of $88,160 in Fire Department EMS peak staffing.
• Reduction of $20,689 in Police overtime.
• Reduction of $8,000 in Selectmen's Office part-time salaries.

Board of Education cuts included:

• Elimination of 1.0 FTE Instructional Coach ($122,000).
• Elimination of 1.0 FTE Paraprofessional ($25,148).
• Reduction of $200,000 in the medical insurance budget.
• Reduction of $70,000 in professional development spending.
• Reduction of $107,852 in site improvements spending.

The revised budget represented a proposed mill rate of 28.40, an increase of 2.73 percent.