Attendance was sparse at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting; it reached a peak of about 150 people. Here, voters lifted their pink ballot cards as instructed by the moderator. (photo: GOOD Morning Wilton)

Town leaders have proposed a town budget of $140,339,906 and a mill rate of 23.9435 mils for Fiscal Year 2025.

At the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m., residents and property owners now get to decide whether or not to move that proposed budget to a vote (or reduce it further) and consider six referendum questions. Voting begins at the meeting’s conclusion and continues Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m..

Once the budget is adopted, that’s how the town determines how much to tax each property owner in order to fund the budget.

How Wilton sets its budget every year at the Annual Town Meeting can sometimes be confusing, for newcomers and longtime residents alike. To help everyone understand how it works and why it’s important to attend, we’ve created this “Wilton 101” video all about the process.

Why attending in person is critical: After town officials present their proposed budget to the attendees, eligible voters who are there in person can offer comments. Eligible voters can also make motions to change the budget proposal — but only to reduce the budgets proposed. Only voters who are present can decide the final figures that will then be put to voters at the conclusion of the meeting and on Saturday.

There will be no town Zoom feed of the meeting. GOOD Morning Wilton will livestream the meeting but only those attending in-person can participate. (The town will record the meeting and a video will be available on the Town web site by noon, Wednesday, May 8.)

The budget being considered at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting:

  • Elected Town officials have proposed a FY’25 operating budget of $140,339,906 to run the town and the schools for FY2025. That’s a 4.0% increase ($5.4 million) over FY’24.
    • TOTAL Board of Selectmen: $35,736,501 (3.7% increase over FY’24)
      • Operating budget:  $34,632,148
      • Capital: $1,244,353
    • Board of Education budget:  $93,238,159 (4.5% increase over FY’21)
    • Debt Service: $9,975,742
    • BOF Reserves: $1,389,504
  • The total FY’25 amount that needs to be raised through a levy is $135,569,504, a 5.2% increase ($6,739,502) from FY’24.
  • The proposed FY’23 mill rate is 23.9435, reflecting a 4.0% increase over FY’24 (a decrease when considering this year’s property revaluation).

(For detailed information on the budgets, meeting procedures, bonding questions and presentations, visit the town website.)

Annual Town Meeting Details

The meeting is held at the Wilton High School Clune Auditorium (395 Danbury Rd.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for check in — don’t forget to bring an I.D. — and the meeting begins at 7 p.m.

All members of the public can attend, but only eligible voters can participate. To be eligible, you must be one of the following:

  • registered to vote in Wilton
  • a U.S. citizen, 18-years-old or older, who owns taxable property with an assessed value of $1,000 or more on the Oct. 1, 2023 grand list.

Attendees who are not eligible to vote will sit in a different section of the auditorium.

There are three parts to the budget: the school budget from the Board of Education; the town budget from the Board of Selectmen; and the operating capital budget — those building and maintenance projects that the town pays for by bonding.

Wilton voters get a direct say in setting the budget and how the town spends their tax money through the “Town Meeting” form of government. Every eligible resident and property owner is a member of the Town Meeting, almost like it’s the town’s legislature. 

Every year on the first Tuesday night in May, the Town Meeting gathers to meet for the Annual Town Meeting. Town officials will explain their proposed budgets, and then residents have a chance to participate during the public comment period (which follows Roberts Rules of Order).

Only people actually in the auditorium at the ATM can participate. Eligible voters can ask questions, say what they think, or propose changes. Under the Town Charter, the only changes that can be proposed are further budget reductions. The motions that can be made are:

  • reduce a line item in the Board of Selectmen (town) budget
  • reduce the total Board of Education (school) budget
  • reduce other line items in the budget, but not to the extent that the town can’t meet legal obligations.

The Town Meeting will debate what to do, and then once the vote is called, eligible voters who are present will vote on the motions and, by a majority vote, will choose a recommended budget to present to voters.

That’s why attending the ATM in person is critical. It’s the only way to have real impact on the final budget voters will consider.

This year there are also five bonding resolutions that will be presented, and one question about amending the Town Charter to allow breweries to manufacture and sell beer in town. There is public comment on the bonding questions, but no motions can be made to change the bonding resolutions.

Immediately after the ATM adjourns, voting will begin and then continue on Saturday, May 11.

Voting

Question 1:  The Budget

For the budget vote, voters have three options to consider:

  • YES, I approve the budget proposed at the Annual Town Meeting
  • NO, the budget is TOO HIGH
  • NO, the budget is TOO LOW

As always, the town needs to reach a 15% voter turnout threshold in order for the votes to qualify. Otherwise, with less than a 15% voter turnout, the budget automatically passes, no matter what votes are cast.

If voter turnout is 15% or higher, all the ‘yes’ votes are counted, and all the ‘no’ votes are added together. If there are more ‘yes’ votes, the budget passes. If there are more ‘no’ votes, the Board of Finance will go back and revise the budget based on the numbers of ‘too high’ and ‘too low’ votes, and bring it back to voters again. 

Question 2-7:  Town Referendums

The town referendums are simple YES or NO votes, and they require no minimum voter turnout — they will pass or fail based on whatever the actual YES or NO vote is.

The first five are bonding questions — the five projects for which the town would like to borrow money:

  • $3,862,000 for a new chiller, unit ventilator and ceiling tiles at Middlebrook School
  • $1,903,000 for the Middlebrook School roof replacement
  • $1,600,000 for Scribner Hill Rd. construction and reconstruction
  • $1,585,000 for planning, design, acquisition and installation Of Town Hall renovations
  • $540,000 for road restoration (paving)

The last question is whether to amend the Town Charter to allow breweries in Wilton that manufacture and sell beer. If approved, it would:

  1. allow breweries that have received a brewery permit from the State of Connecticut to manufacture and sell beer in the Town of Wilton for both on-premises and off-premises consumption
  2. establish hours of operation for breweries for on-premises retail sales that are the same as those currently applicable to restaurants located in Town
  3. establish hours of operation for breweries for off-premises retail sales that are the same as those currently applicable to package stores located in Town

Sample Ballot: