Of the 16,959 voters registered in North Haven, just 965 or 5.7 percent came out to cast their votes on the town’s proposed budget on May 21. The vote passed by a margin of 197 votes with 581 votes in favor and 384 opposed.

At a special meeting on May 22, the Board of Finance officially set the mill rate to 31.18, unchanged from last fiscal year.

With the vote passed, the town is set to spend $47,959,637 in the 2019/’20 fiscal year, a spending increase of $2,954,085 or 6.6 percent from last year. In addition to paying $7,685,747 in rising debt payments, the overall increase will go to fund improvements at the police and fire departments.

The town’s debt increased by $1,006,270 or 15.1 percent from last years payment, an increase First Selectman Mike Freda attributes to costs related to the new middle school building, the new police department, and several firehouses approved over the last few years.

Freda is pleased with the passage of the budget.

“I’m delighted to move the town forward this way,” Freda said. “As long as we’re growing the top line revenue by bringing new businesses in, we will invest back in the town. We do not spend money other than improving the town.”

Freda said the town was able to keep the mill rate steady because of new businesses being brought to town, increasing tax revenue with Grand List growth. Others were concerned by the sudden spike in spending.

“I was opposed to this budget…because of the dramatic increase in spending,” Third Selectman Sally Buemi said. “It’s always difficult to oppose a budget that does not have a mill rate increase because certainly maintaining the mill rate is a noble goal of any municipality.”

She said she is worried because the town is covering a portion of its debt payments with temporary funds—$1.4 million of the debt will be paid by a special reserve fund accumulated through premiums paid to the town by financial institutions during bonding, a benefit enjoyed by the town thanks to its AAA credit rating.

“I think it’s opening us up for tough times down the line,” Buemi said. “I think we need to do more to curtail spending down the line.”

The fire department will gain a 14 percent increase in funding from last year. Its budgeted $5,112,104 will go toward purchasing a $300,000 used ladder truck and adding two professional firefighters to each of its shifts as well as increasing maintenance costs.

The Board of Education (BOE) will also see increased spending. This fiscal year, the BOE will receive $54,590,313, a $1,537,477 or 2.9 percent increase from last year.

“I was happy this budget passed because this budget adds services to the town with no tax increase,” Freda said. “We’re enhancing public safety, we’re supporting education, we are paying the debt service on this coming fiscal year.”