Town leaders have proposed a town budget of $145,835,795, and a mill rate of 24.4054 mils for Fiscal Year 2026. 

At the 2025 Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Clune Auditorium (395 Danbury Rd.), 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 10 referendum questions. Voting begins at the meeting’s conclusion and continues Saturday, May 10, 2025 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., also at the Clune Auditorium.

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 2025 Annual Town Meeting:

  • Elected Town officials have proposed a FY’26 operating budget of $145,835,795 to run the town and the schools for FY2026. That’s a 3.92% increase ($5.5 million) over FY’24.
    • TOTAL Board of Selectmen: $37,130,471 (3.65% increase over FY’25)
      • Operating budget:  $36,293,138
      • Capital: $832,333
    • Board of Education budget:  $96,968,334 (4.0% increase over FY’25)
    • Debt Service: $9,907,420
    • BOF Reserves: $1,829,570
  • The total FY’26 amount that needs to be raised through a levy is $146,966,545, a 3.9% increase ($5,495,889) from FY’25.
  • The proposed FY’26 mill rate is 24.4054, reflecting a 1.93% increase over FY’25.

(Typically, GMW suggests readers visit the Town website for detailed information on the budgets, meeting procedures, bonding questions and presentations. However, this year we’ve been disappointed with the amount of information available or clearly indicated. Town officials have not provided the level of transparency and clarity residents deserve — something we’ll address in another post shortly.)

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, 2024 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 10.

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 2-11:  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 ten bonding questions — the ten projects for which the town would like to borrow money — are:

  • $2,000,000 for the Wilton High School library roof replacement
  • $1,646,314 for Middlebrook School improvements including floor tiles, ceiling tiles and lighting replacements
  • $1,547,678 for Cider Mill School water chiller replacement
  • $1,286,618 for Historic Raymond Ambler House at Ambler Farm renovations
  • $725,000 for repaving of school district drainage, sidewalks and parking areas
  • $700,000 for road restoration and paving
  • $700,000 for turf field replacement at Memorial Stadium (Wilton High School)
  • $373,000 for Middlebrook School exhaust fan replacement
  • $330,000 for purchase of a large dump truck, two sanders and two plow apparatus
  • $250,000 for Middlebrook School gymnasium HVAC system replacement

Sample Ballot