WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Windsor Locks voters will return to the polls Tuesday for a seventh attempt at approving the town's 2026-27 budget.
The referendum will run from noon to 8 p.m. Voters should cast ballots at their assigned polling place at Windsor Locks Town Hall, 50 Church St., or Windsor Locks High School, 58 South Elm St.
The ballot includes two questions.
The first asks voters to approve a $64,086,850 operating budget covering schools, public safety, public works, employee benefits, debt payments, recreation and other town services.
The latest proposal is about 0.3 percent smaller than the budget rejected Aug. 11 and about 3.3 percent below the first proposal sent to voters in June.
The Board of Finance cut another $182,500 after the sixth referendum failed. The reductions include $60,000 from general government, $57,500 from public safety and $65,000 from employee benefits and insurance. The Board of Education budget remains unchanged at $34,579,328.
The proposed mill rate remains 22.25, the same rate listed with the sixth budget proposal. A mill rate of 22.25 means property owners are charged $22.25 for every $1,000 of assessed value.
The second ballot question asks voters to approve a $455,623 Tax Increment Financing District budget tied to downtown development. That amount is unchanged from the sixth referendum.
The sixth operating budget failed 821-734, with about 52.8 percent of voters opposed. The TIF budget came even closer but was rejected 759-750, a difference of nine votes.
The capital budget will not appear on Tuesday's ballot because voters approved it during the July 28 referendum.
If the seventh proposal fails, town officials are already preparing for another round. The Board of Finance will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Windsor Locks High School. Its agenda calls for members, if necessary, to develop an eighth budget for a Sept. 8 referendum.
Residents can review the complete proposal on the town's budget page.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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