Modified Guilford Budget Schedule Due To Coronavirus

GUILFORD, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont's executive order changes how municipalities conduct business including specifically the town's annual budget. First Selectman Matt Hoey explains in a statement to the community:

The Governor has issued a series of Executive Orders setting the law governing the conduct of the business of state and municipal government during the period of the state of emergency as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019.
On March 14, 2020, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 7B (“EO 7B”), which suspends all statutes, charter provisions, ordinances and regulations mandating open meetings in order “...to permit any public agency to meet and take such actions authorized by the law without permitting or requiring in-person, public access to such meetings, and to hold such meetings or proceedings remotely by conference call, videoconference or other technology” (‘Electronic Meetings’).
On March 21, 2020, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 7I (“EO 7I”), which further dispenses with any in-person voting requirements (including referenda and town meetings requiring in-person votes) for purposes of adopting 2020-2021 fiscal year municipal budgets and setting the mill rate; in effect conferring final responsibility on the “budget-making authority” of the town to adopt a budget and set a mill rate, which order supersedes State law, local ordinances or Charter provision. The budget making authority for the Town of Guilford is the Board of Finance.
In order to comply with the Governor’s Executive Orders, and after consultation with legal counsel and the Chair of the Board of Finance, the modified schedule and deadline for the submission, deliberation and final action on the Town Budget for FY 2020-2021, is as follows:
1. April 6, 2020 Electronic Regular Meeting of the Board of Selectman, to vote
to authorize the Board of Finance, as the budget-making authority, to comply with the mandatory requirements of EO7I and adopt a budget and set the mill rate.
2. April 13, 2020 Electronic Special Meeting of the Board of Finance, to receive and respond to public comment to the budget, which comments shall be received by the BOF from the public. The public is encouraged to submit their comments or concerns via an email link on the Town website, which email address is townbudget2021@ci.guilford.ct.us at any time up to 3:00pm on Monday April 20,2020.
3. April 20, 2020 Electronic Regular Meeting of the Board of Finance to receive and respond to public comments received by email and to vote to adopt the budget and set the mill rate.