In stark comparison to the public hearings held in anticipation of the town’s first two budget referenda, which were packed with members of the public in the auditorium and multiple speakers, the Board of Finance’s May 31 public hearing in the Town Hall Green Room had only 13 people attending and three speakers.

The proposed town budget of $17,507,609 is a 1.24 percent increase over last year’s budget. Because of dramatic drops in anticipated state revenue, the $45,496,474 to be raised in taxes in the proposed budget would result in a tax increase of more than 10 percent from last year’s budget.

To meet the $30,000 cut to the second proposed budget, the Board of Selectmen cut $10,000 from Public Works CEC Infrastructure, $8,522 from Town Wide Services, $3,978 from Police Salaries Overtime, and $7,500 from Technology CEC Switches, Routers, and Firewall.

First Selectman Bruce Farmer gave a brief description of the process the board of selectmen went through to make cuts. Noting that a large percent of town employees are also residents of Clinton that “care deeply about this town,” Farmer closed his remarks by saying the third time going through the budget process was “very painful” and “we do not want to cut services.” Farmer did not specify which services would have to be cut if the further budget reductions are necessary.

Michael Hughes voiced his concerns about the large tax increase and the uncertainty related to how the state’s proposed budget could affect the town. Hughes said he voted “No” on both proposed budgets and implored the town to wait until they knew the state’s budget to pass the town budget.

Selectman Carol Walter said she’d like to see the full Board of Finance attend future Board of Selectmen meetings should this budget not pass.

At the first referendum on May 10, 3,313 people voted to declined the original proposed town budget the original proposed Board of Education budget. After a one percent cut to both budgets, 3,252 voters turned up at town hall on May 24 to approve the proposed education budget, but reject the proposed town budget. The difference in the proposed town budget passing was only 18 votes.

While the close vote for the proposed town budget may be interpreted as a positive sign, the fact the education budget was approved means that a large contingent of voters who were invested primarily in the education budget may not vote in the June 7 referendum, which could make passing the budget hard.

The town’s third budget referendum is set for June 7. Eligible voters can vote in the Green Room at Town Hall from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in the referendum must be a registered voter in the town or a person who owns a property or a vehicle assessed at over $1,000. Absentee ballots are available online at the town website, clintonct.org. After passing both budgets on the first ballot in 2016, 2017 is the seventh time in eight years that it has taken Clinton multiple referendums to pass its budgets. According to the Town Clerk’s office, each referendum costs the town between $3,000 and $4,000.