A $62 million budget is heading to a public hearing following a March 8 vote by the Town Council. The proposed spending package is a $2.3 million, or 3.93%, increase over the previous budget, and residents will get their say during the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, at 6 p.m.

The proposed town budget is $23,438,078 (a $1,561,443 or 7.14% increase), and the proposed education budget is $38,572,877 (a $783,641 or 2.07% increase). The combined proposal is $62,010,95.

Last month, Town Manager Karl Kilduff presented the Town Council with his initial proposed budget, which was slightly higher. At the meeting on March 8, the council approved removing $766,706 from the initial proposal.

The council passed the proposed town budget unanimously, but cuts to the proposed education budget were more controversial.

A motion to cut $350,000 from the initial proposed education budget passed with Republican council members Tom Hollinger, Dennis Donovan, Carol Walter, and Democratic member Hank Teskey voting for the cuts while Democrats Carrie Allen and Chris Passante voted against the motion.

While the proposed budgets are now heading to a public hearing, there is still a chance for the proposed budgets to change.

A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. At the public hearing, speakers can voice their opinions for or against either the education or town budget. Immediately following, the Town Council will hold a special meeting at which it can make any last changes to either the education or town budget before sending the budget to voters in May.

If the budget remains intact after the hearing and special meeting, Kilduff said that the mill rate would see an increase.

"Based on decisions made last night, the projected mill rate would be 29.97, which would be an increase of 0.14 mills or 0.48% increase," Kilduff explained. "To the average taxpayer, their bill would increase by $31.45 of $2.62 per month."

Though both the town and education budgets comprise the total budget, when voters get to approve or deny the budget at a referendum in May, they will vote on the town and education budgets separately.

That means it is possible for voters to pass one budget and reject the other in the same referendum.

If one or both of the budgets fail, it is revised by the town council immediately following the vote. Another public hearing is held the following week, and another referendum is held the week after the public hearing.