Budget Referendum Is One Week Away

On April 17, the for the . The Council voted to hold the mill rate steady at its current 27.77 with a budget of $47,368,137.

Early in April, the public had a chance to , which had a large . While the Town Council has approved the budget, it is not set in stone yet. The next step toward the finalization of the budget is the budget referendum, which is on Tuesday, May 8 from noon to 8 p.m. at the regular polling locations– and .

What is the Budget Referendum?

The budget referendum gives registered voters the opportunity to vote for or against the budget (the town's election page has information on registering to vote).

Voters will receive a ballot asking one question: “Should the Town Council’s budget be adopted?” The final budget amount and final mill rate will also be listed. The three choices are “I accept the budget,” “I reject the budget–too high” or “I reject the budget–too low.”

In order for the results of the referendum to be binding, at least 15 percent of the town’s registered voters must have turned out to the polls. If the 15 percent required by the  is met, the Council is bound to adjust the budget according to the vote.

Budget Referendum History

In the seven years of budget referendums in North Branford–the town adopted the budget referendum in 2004 with 2005 being the first referendum–the only time the 15 percent turned out to the polls was 2006. That year, 16.3 percent of voters (1,384 residents) headed to the polls with 1,137 rejecting the budget for being too high.

The  received just 5.33 percent of registered voters (465 people) with 375 of voters rejecting the budget for being too high.

Historical Town Budget Referendum Turnout

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