Guilford Residents Decide Budget and $8.8M in Bond Projects

Last night Guilford voters approved at referendum the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Town budget totaling, $90,703,425. The vote was 1,302 for approval and 949 against the budget.

This budget represents a 3.06 percent spending increase over the current year and the Board of Finance has estimated that this will increase the mill rate 2.99 percent or .82 mills. The proposed new tax rate would then be 28.24. The Board of Finance will meet within the next ten days to officially set the new mill rate.

Voters also approved all four bonding questions which include funding for years 2016 and 2017 of the Town’s Five-Year Capital Plan to complete phase one of inland road reconstruction projects and the acquisition of a public works department grader as well as improvements to various town facilities.

On the Board of Education side, the approved bonding projects include facility improvements and future project engineering for various schools as well as security and technology upgrades.

“This budget, which was the culmination of months of hard work by Town and Board of Education officials and staff, will continue to provide residents with the high quality level of services they have come to expect,” said First Selectman Joe Mazza in a statement released by his office.

In the statement, Mazza thanks the voters for their vote of confidence in the budget and the bonding appropriations.

Specifically, residents voted 1,230 to 1,003 to fund $2.205 million worth of upgrades to various town facilities.

An additional $1.28 million was approved by a vote of 1,433 to 802. That money is for the town’s inland road reconstruction project.

An additional $3.59 million was approved by a vote of 1,201 to 1,031. The money is for various school renovation projects, and an additional $1.695 million was approved for school security upgrades by a margin of 1,335 to 911.