The town's two voting places are opening at noon today, Tuesday, May 9, for North Branford voters to register their response to the Town Council's recommended $50,558,303 budget, representing a 4.7 percent tax hike for the 2017-'18 fiscal year. The budget's 1.5 mill increase would bump North Branford's mill rate up to 33.51 mills. Polls close at 8 p.m.

The official question on the ballot reads, "Shall the Town Council Recommended Budget of $50,558,303, which will require a mill rate of 33.51 mills, be adopted?" Electors can answer the question by voting to show whether they feel the  $50.55 million town budget should be accepted, rejected as too high, or rejected as too low.

By Town Charter, the vote on the question requires a minimum 15 percent voter turnout at the polls for results to be "actionable" by Town Council. Response is historically well below the 15 percent voter threshold. When turnout is below 15 percent, the budget automatically passes. The proposed 2017-18 budget can be viewed online at the Town of North Branford website, here

Polls will be open for registered voters to respond from noon to 8 p.m. at the town's two voting places. District One votes at Jerome Harrison Elementary School (335 Foxon Road/Route 80); District Two votes at Stanley T. Williams Community Center (1332 Middletown Avenue/Route 17) in Northford.

As previously reported, the proposed 2017-'18 town budget represents a decrease in spending (-0.86 percent) year-to-year. The budget recommends $14,881,030 for town government costs (an annual increase of 2.29 percent) and $30,998,053 for schools (an annual increase of 1.01 percent), offset by a $1,474,455 or 25.58 percent decrease in debt service payments.  The council, which is also North Branford's Finance Board, approved the $50.55 million budget recommendation by a 5-4 party line vote on April 18. 

This year's budget was a difficult process in which the council faced down daunting state revenue shortfalls, eventually deciding to pin the town's anticipated state losses at $2.2 million. The council decided not to make provisions for an additional $1.4 million North Branford might have to pay the state, should Governor Dannel P. Malloy's proposed municipal funding of the state Teachers' Retirement Fund be enacted. While the Town of North Branford, like many municipalities, considers that enactment to be a long shot, should Malloy's proposal be enacted, amended tax bills would be issued to generate the needed revenue, as Mayor Michael Doody noted following the council's April 18 vote. 

To close the anticipated $2.2 million state revenue shortfall gap, the council voted to spend nearly $1.5 million in debt service savings, together with using an unprecedented $750,000 from the general fund surplus.