Editor’s note: The following Op-Ed was prepared by the Board of Finance. This update was sent by the First Selectman‘s office to news media outlets and was also distributed to residents via the Town of Wilton e-alert system and the “Town News & Announcement (including First Selectman’s Update)” email distribution list. The distribution of this newsletter was the topic of a dispute between the Board of Finance Chair Matt Raimondi and First Selectman Toni Boucher. You can read GMW coverage of that here and here. Whether future communication from the Board of Finance will be distributed in the same way is still undetermined. The Board of Selectmen has planned to discuss the issue at its next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Wilton Residents,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Below is an update from the Board of Finance (BOF).
Mill Rate & Budget Guidance
At our Nov. 12 meeting, the BOF unanimously voted to set mill rate (i.e., tax rate) guidance at a 3.0% increase. Below, you’ll find an illustration of how this tax increase would impact residents at various current tax levels.
Additionally, the BOF set individual board guidance at 4.0% for the Board of Education (BOE) and 3.0% for the Board of Selectmen (BOS). These decisions were informed by forecasts provided by the superintendent and first selectman, as well as several factors, including:
- Contractual level of union wage increases for both BOE employees (~4.0%) and BOS employees (FY26 increase is pending contract negotiations)
- Inflation (currently 2.6%)
- Forecasted changes to school enrollment (an increase of 13 children from the current school year) and per-pupil-expenditure trends
- Student/teacher ratio across grade levels and disciplines
- BOS proposed staff increases
- New Grand List growth from development
- Consideration for what may or may not be acceptable to the residents of the town based on previous town surveys, resident emails/comments, annual town meeting votes, and municipal elections
Balancing Town Needs with Taxpayer Expectations
Our analysis, based on projections from the superintendent and first selectman, along with debt service and other assumptions, indicated a potential 5.3% mill rate increase. However, the Board concluded that a 5.3% increase would not be acceptable to Wilton residents.
At the same time, we recognize that unavoidable expense increases — such as contractual obligations and inflation — must be addressed. After careful deliberation, we determined that a 3.0% mill rate increase represents a balance between the town’s needs and what taxpayers can reasonably support.
This chart illustrates the approximate increase, in dollars, that taxpayers at various current tax levels would have to pay based on different levels of mill rate (tax) increase.
You can review the mill rate model and underlying assumptions on the town website.
Your Voice Matters
Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback with us. Your perspectives are invaluable as the BOF works to balance the needs of our town with the priorities of its residents. We encourage you to continue reaching out with questions, comments or concerns.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the BOF through the Board of Finance email.
Best regards,
Matt Raimondi
Chair, Wilton Board of Finance
email