Town Council Approves $48.8M Budget with 29.1 Mill Rate

On April 22, the North Branford Town Council voted to send the proposed $48.8 million 2013-14 town budget to voters in the budget referendum on May 14. The proposed budget would set the mill rate at 29.1, an increase from the current rate of 27.77.

The budget was not passed unanimously as Rose Angeloni, Mike Doody, Esposito and Joseph Faughnan voted no. The quartet also voted against the $700,000 cut to the Board of Education's proposed budget.

The current mill rate is 27.77 (a tax rate of .02777). The new mill rate is 29.1, which represents a .22 mill increase due to the budget and a 1.33 mill increase. An example of how to compute your taxes from the current mill rate: If the full (100%) value of your home is $200,000, the assessed value at 70% is $140,000 (200,000 x .70 = 140,000).

With the current mill rate of 27.77, your annual taxes are $3,887.80 (140,000 x .02777 = 3,887.80). With a 29.1 mill rate, your annual taxes would be $4,074 (140,000 x .0291 = 4,074) – an increase of 186.20 per year.

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A full story on more budget details to follow. 

So what's next? The budget is not finalized until the public votes in the budget referendum on Tuesday, May 14. In order for the referendum to be binding, at least 15 percent of registered voters must turn out to the polls. 

If 15 percent vote, the Town Council is required to adjust the budget to address the public's request.  

"I encourage the public to go to the budget referendum and vote," said Mayor Anthony Candelora. "I would also like to thank the Town Council for their time and effort in getting to this point. It’s been a very tough year."