Voters can approve or reject a proposed total budget of $51,440,046 at a referendum on Tuesday, May 14. Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at Old Saybrook High School.

The proposed budget combines spending requests for both the town and the Board of Education (BOE). The proposed education budget is $28,829,506, a $975,812 or 3.38 % increase, while the proposed town budget is $21,447,238, a $187,490 or 0.87 % increase.

The total proposed budget is $51,440,046 and represents a $1,163,302 or 2.31% total increase over the current year’s budget.

Under the proposed budget, the mill rate would likely decrease to 15.10 mills according to Old Saybrook Finance Director Lee Ann Palladino.

“The mill rate will be officially established after the budget is passed. It is estimated to be about 15.10. It is lower than the current 20.46 because of the re-valuation that took place on town properties for Grand List dated October 2023, where Old Saybrook, as well as most other towns in Connecticut, have seen a large increase in the assessed value of real estate,” Palladino said.

Proposed capital projects—spending on items that last longer than a budget cycle, like vehicles or roof repairs— include a van for youth and family services, park and recreation projects, and upgrades to Saybrook Point.

Palladino attributed the budget increase to contractual raises as well as outside factors like inflation.

“The budget increase is mainly attributable to employee expense, which accounts for just over half of the town's budget. These expenses are contractual and outlined in the union contracts for wages and benefits. Other areas that contributed to budget increases are associated with inflation as the cost of certain goods and services,” Palladino added.

First Selectman Carl Fortuna said the proposed budget reflects investing in savings that will pay off in the long run.

“Our budget increase was less than the going rate of inflation, which is an accomplishment all to itself given the cost of labor and materials. In addition, we continue to invest in maintaining our infrastructure better than it ever has been. This contributes to lower costs in yearly budgets as we tend not to have the big fixes from property that has seen underinvestment,” Fortuna said.

“We also continue to improve and enhance the quality of life for our residents by making our facilities better, from our beaches to our parks to our transfer station and public works to our town hall. We are investing in software that will allow more people to interact with government from home, whether it is paying taxes or securing a building permit,” Fortuna added.

Fortuna also expanded on some of the new services that are provided for by the proposed budget.

“We have a new park with new recreational opportunities coming online downtown. We will have more sidewalks being installed on the western side of town and will be improving our downtown with new parking spaces and improved sidewalks. We are planning for the future with a continuation of our resiliency efforts, which have been ongoing for years, and will continue to promote a variety of housing opportunities, an issue Old Saybrook has been a leader on for years,” he said.

Last year, voters in Old Saybrook overwhelmingly approved both budgets. The town budget was approved with 239 votes in favor and 37 against. The education budget passed by a margin of 239 in favor to 34 opposed.

At a public hearing last month, no residents in attendance strongly voiced any objection against the proposed budget.

Prior to the referendum, the proposed budgets will be presented at the Annual Budget meeting on Monday, May 6, at the middle school auditorium at 6:30 p.m. However, the referendum the following week is when the votes are actually cast.

Palladino said that more in-depth information on the budget can be found on the town website.