Ridgefield Residents To Weigh In On Proposed $162M Budget

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The proposed 2023-24 budget will be the center of attention at the annual Town Meeting on Monday.

The total spending plan is $162,017,483, a 4.07 percent increase over the current budget.

$110,645,000 of the proposed budget is for school operations, and would represent a 3.79 percent increase over the 2022-23 Board of Education budget.

The Board of Selectmen has asked for $42,029,352 for town operations, a 7.17 percent increase. Another $2,657,000 would be spent on improvements to roads and drainage, and to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 66.06 percent increase over last year's spend in the category. The combined suggested town ops and infrastructure budget of $44,686,352 represents a 9.47 percent increase over the current budget.

The remaining $6,686,131 of the proposed budget would go toward debt service, 19.11 percent less than what the town allocated last year.

Overall town revenues for 2023-24, as projected in the budget, would be up by 4.07 percent. That includes over $145 million in property taxes, a 3.09 percent increase in collections over last year.

If approved, the town spending plan would call for an increase of just under 1 percent in the town's mill rate.

Residents may vote on the proposed spending plan at the annual Town Meeting to be held at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Monday, 7:30 p.m., and the annual Town Budget Referendum on May 9, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Yanity Gym, 60 Prospect Street.