East Windsor Budget Hits New Phase

EAST WINDSOR, CT — East Windsor voters rejected two proposed budgets for the third time Tuesday, triggering a charter-driven next step in the town’s budget process after weeks of revisions, warnings and repeat trips to the polls.

The unofficial June 9 referendum results posted by the town show the proposed Town of East Windsor budget was defeated 673-424. The proposed Town of East Windsor Broad Brook Fire Department budget was defeated 425-400.

The vote marked the third time residents rejected the 2026-27 spending plans. Both the town budget and the Broad Brook Fire Department budget also failed at referendums held May 12 and May 26, according to prior town-posted results.

Third Vote Fails

The latest town budget proposal totaled $48,924,961, according to the Board of Finance’s June 9 referendum budget documents. That was down from the $49,104,961 proposal placed before voters May 26 and the $49,512,069 proposal rejected May 12.

The May 12 town budget failed 748-381. The revised May 26 town budget failed 692-364. On Tuesday, the third version failed 673-424.

The Broad Brook Fire Department budget also narrowed over the course of the referendum process.

The May 12 proposal was $1,308,580 and failed 479-341. The May 26 proposal was $1,208,580 and failed 455-352. The June 9 proposal included a Broad Brook Fire Department department total of $1,177,290, according to the fire department budget document submitted to the town.

On Tuesday, the fire budget failed by 25 votes.

What Happens Next

Before the vote, both the East Windsor Democratic Town Committee and East Windsor Republican Town Committee pointed to the same town charter provision, saying a third failed referendum would require the budget to be set at the present year’s budget plus a 2 percent increase.

The Democratic Town Committee warned that the charter outcome could require cuts affecting education, public safety, staffing and the town’s ability to compete for state and federal grants.

The Republican Town Committee also urged residents to vote and said before the referendum that if the budget failed, the resulting budget would increase taxes more than the proposal before voters. The committee said the Board of Finance had made additional reductions and used fund balance to lessen the immediate tax impact, but said relying on fund balance is not a long-term solution.

Reductions Made Before Vote

The Board of Finance’s June 9 budget package shows several rounds of reductions from the first referendum proposal to the third. The town budget was reduced from $49,512,069 for the first referendum to $49,104,961 for the second, then to $48,924,961 for the third.

The June 9 budget summary listed a proposed town mill rate of 26.69 for fiscal year 2026-27, compared with 24.89 for fiscal year 2025-26. The document listed the mill rate change at 1.80 mills, or 7.24 percent.

For the Broad Brook Fire Department, the budget document listed a department total of $1,177,290, an increase of $79,619, or 7.3 percent, over the fiscal year 2026 adopted amount. The document also listed a current mill rate of 1.60, a proposed mill rate of 2.03 and a mill rate increase of 0.43, or 26.88 percent.

Town Committees Warned Of Stakes

In a post before the vote, the East Windsor Democratic Town Committee said the town was facing consequences if the referendum failed for a third time.

The committee said the charter-required result “can’t be done without cuts” affecting major service areas. The committee’s post specifically cited education, public safety, staff reductions and grant competitiveness.

The East Windsor Republican Town Committee, in its own pre-vote post, said the situation was “not ideal” and said many of the town’s budget challenges would likely return next year.

The Republican committee said the long-term answer was not simply cutting, but pursuing economic development to expand the commercial tax base and reduce the burden on homeowners.

School Impact Discussed

A post shared by the East Windsor Democratic Town Committee from Board of Education member Noreen Farmer said the town was facing increased taxes tied partly to a decline in the grand list, which is used to calculate the tax rate.

Farmer wrote that the Board of Finance had already reduced both the town and education portions of the budget after the first referendum. She said additional education dollars from the state reduced the amount needed from local taxpayers, but warned that a third failure would still require further cuts.

Farmer said the proposed education budget would allow the district to continue academic work from recent years, including curriculum development, staff development and expanded student supports.

Final Results Pending

The results posted by the town Tuesday were listed as unofficial. The town had not immediately posted final certified results or a detailed explanation of the next budget-setting step beyond the referendum outcome.

The June 9 vote was the third referendum in less than a month, following earlier votes May 12 and May 26.

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