The following article was submitted by the Wilton League of Women Voters.

Calling all Wilton residents to Grass Roots Democracy in Action at the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clune Center!

What’s a “Town Meeting”?

Definition: Traditional to small New England towns, the “Town Meeting” is a form of direct democracy in which the whole community comes together to determine local policy and budgets.

What happens at a Town Meeting?

Citizens are legislators. In the best tradition of New England, neighbors sit side by side and work out what we think is best for the community we share. Volunteers serving on our town boards present their recommended school budget, town budget, and other critical issues facing our town. We pose questions, get real information, and debate merits and concerns. Then we vote on the budgets and particular resolutions the boards have submitted for our consideration.

Editor’s note: voting on the budget is voting on the mill rate and what the town can levy property owners — you’re essentially voting on the taxes you’ll pay to cover what the town needs to spend to operate and provide services.

Who can come, and who can vote at the Annual Town Meeting?

All Wilton residents can attend. All residents registered to vote in Wilton can vote; and in addition, citizens who have real property and/or vehicles valued at $1000 or more on Wilton’s last-completed Grand List can vote.

Will the Annual Town Meeting represent the wishes of town residents?

Yes, if we show up. If too few of us attend the Annual Town Meeting, we are allowing others to speak for us. According to our Town Charter:

  • Participants at the meeting can move to decrease a budget line item but not to increase it.
  • Voters at the Annual Town Meeting have three ballot options: 1) Yes; 2) No (because the budget is too high); and 3) No (because the budget is too low).
  • Unless a minimum of 15% of eligible Wilton voters show up, the budget is automatically passed as proposed. In recent years, our turnout has sometimes missed this threshold.
When is our next Town Meeting & Budget Vote?

This year’s Town Meeting will be on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wilton High School Clune Auditorium (395 Danbury Rd.). Voting on machine ballots will begin as soon as the meeting is adjourned. For those unable to attend the meeting, voting will continue on Saturday, May 7, 2022 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. All eligible voters will vote at the Wilton High School Clune Center.

What’s on our Annual Town Meeting ballot?

That’s still being determined. Our elected representatives on our town boards — particularly the Boards of Selectmen, Education, and Finance — are working assiduously right now to determine what they will propose and present at our Town Meeting. At this point, we expect it will include the town budget, and it may include other referendum items soon to be determined.

Prior to our Town Meeting, our registrars of voters will display a Sample Ballot on the town website, which will also be available on the Wilton League of Women Voters website, and on GOOD Morning Wilton.

The Wilton Board of Education budget will also be publicly available on the Wilton School District website’s Board of Education page.

The Board of Selectmen’s town budget information is available on the Town of Wilton website.

In the meantime, you can check the town calendar for the schedule of board meetings and hearings open to the public.

Editor’s note: GOOD Morning Wilton has been covering all the board meetings and budget news. 

I’m eligible to vote in Wilton, but… how do I register?

If you have a valid Connecticut driver’s license, you can do register online through the CT Secretary of State’s website. You can also register to vote at Wilton Town Hall (283 Danbury Rd.) Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; or download a voter registration application from the Town of Wilton website.

Or start at the CT Secretary of State website to register from your smartphone: