Matinee Budget Hearing Slated In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — For those unable to make it to night meetings to offer input on the proposed West Hartford town/school budgets, Monday's public hearing on them is for you.

The West Hartford Town Council on Monday, April 3, is hosting a special town/school budget hearing at 2 p.m. at West Hartford Town Hall's legislative chambers, 50 S. Main St., West Hartford.

This hearing offers folks who prefer daytime travel to tell local leaders what they think about municipal/school spending and what they may have to pay in taxes.

The town's spending package for 2023-24, as it stands now, is:

• $124.32 million for town spending, up $5.2 million or 4.37 percent larger than current spending.

• $189.94 million for school spending, up $8.7 million or 4.83 percent larger.

• $16.236 million for capital projects, a decrease of $543,138 or 3.24 percent smaller.

Add all those numbers together, and it makes for a combined $330.5 million town/school budget, which is 4.23 percent larger.

As is typical of all municipal budgets, taxes fund much of the spending, along with other government revenues.

And in West Hartford's case, those taxes will go up, according to this budget draft, by a figure less than 2 percent.

The proposed spending plan would require a new mill rate of 40.96 mills, 0.28 mills larger. That figure is only for real estate and personal property taxes.

Motor vehicle taxes, which are capped by the state at 32.46, will not go up, Ledwith said, with the town garnering revenues from the state to offset the vehicle mill rate difference.

Crunch the numbers and you get a tax hike of about 1.87 percent for taxpayers.

If you're home was assessed at $300,000 in West Hartford, your taxes would go up by $84 total for the year with the proposed new mill rate.

The West Hartford Board of Education was expected to decide its budget Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m.

The West Hartford Town Coujcil is expected to decide its budget on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m.

Both meetings are at West Hartford Town Hall.

For the West Hartford Town Council budget hearing agenda, click on this link.

For the proposed 2023-24 West Hartford town/school budget, click on this link.

From March 14: 'West Hartford Spending Plan Would Up Taxes Less Than 2 Percent'