The Board of Selectmen held a special meeting on Thursday, Feb. 20, to continue reviewing the FY 2026 budget proposal from First Selectman Toni Boucher and Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker. Despite a sometimes confusing two-hour discussion with occasional misunderstandings and corrections regarding what was or wasn’t included in the budget proposal, the BOS managed to identify at least $330,000 in potential reductions.

“We’re a work in progress and we’re probably going to have more changes next Tuesday when we meet again,” Boucher said.

Budget Figures and Unconventional Calculations

In similar meetings earlier this month, Boucher and Knickerbocker presented a series of budget numbers that incorporated debt service reduction in ways that deviated from standard practice, making the year-over-year budget increase appear to be only 3% or 5%, rather than the actual 10.39% increase calculated the conventional way of combining only operating expenses and operating capital.

Since then, the BOS has whittled that 10.39% increase down to 7.45% but still needs to find more savings if it intends to meet the Board of Finance‘s guidance to keep any increase at or below 3%.

Possible Cuts: Firefighter Positions and DPW Truck

Thursday night, the BOS discussed further reductions, including eliminating a request from Wilton’s Fire Chief for two additional firefighters, which would cut $216,000 and bring the budget increase down to 5.68%.

“Not all the Board of Selectmen are in support of adding the firefighters,” Selectman Ross Tartell said, echoing Selectwoman Kim Healy.

However, Selectman Joshua Cole stressed that still more reductions are necessary.

“I think 5.7% is still gonna be a little high,” he said. “We’re gonna have to really dig in …to put everything on the table and… make some difficult decisions.”

Later in the meeting, Tartell suggested moving a $330,000 Department of Public Works (DPW) truck purchase from the operating budget to capital bonding — something he said was done for purchasing fire trucks. While Healy questioned changing the town’s traditional practice, Cole raised concerns about how Moody’s might view such a shift when assessing the town’s bond rating. CFO Dawn Norton said she would consult with the town’s bonding advisor.

Adding Back to the Budget: Wilton Library Request

Despite working to cut costs, BOS members are also considering adding $90,800 to give Wilton Library a 3% increase in salaries.

Potential Revenue Offsets

Boucher highlighted possible budgetary relief, pointing to an expected increase in the Grand List.

“We will have a significant, and I mean significant increase, that could have a very positive impact on the Mill Rate and on the budget itself. That, I think, the Board of Finance is going to find a wonderful tool in the tool chest that they have for this year,” she said.

Boucher also noted that Wilton will receive state reimbursements for Miller-Driscoll School renovations, with an additional $100,000–$200,000 potentially coming beyond the already-anticipated $700,000.

“We only have about $900,000 we can play with …” Norton explained. “The rest has to go against debt service” should the number be higher.

Surprise Budget Overruns and Omissions

As part of the BOS budget discussion, Norton reported on the current mid-fiscal revenues and expenses. A few unexpected issues arose during the meeting:

  • The Parks and Recreation Department’s Recreation Programs line item of $114,941 is over budget at 133% at mid-year, totaling more than $153,000, but officials are unsure why. “I don’t have an answer to it. I need [Parks & Rec Director Steve Pierce] to let me know what that is,” Norton said, indicating it had something to do with overtime costs.
  • Knickerbocker acknowledged he had forgotten to include a $90,000 increase for the Georgetown fire tax in the proposal. “Because of the revaluation last year … the fire tax went up, so we will have to reflect that,” he said, calling it unavoidable.

Norton said things were adequate, but there would be no leeway at the end of June 2025. “We will be very tight at the end of the fiscal year,” she said.

Asking BOF for More Wiggle Room

Tartell suggested the BOS ask the BOF for “more room to move” beyond a 3% budget increase cap. Boucher said a 4% increase might be more reasonable, pointing to rising costs in the state insurance plan in which the town takes part.

Boucher suggested that, with the influx of new residents, including many from New York City, town voters might be more amenable to another tax increase to pay for services.

“A third of the population is new. A lot of them are from New York. They actually have tolerated this kind of growth in budgets from where they come from easily,” she said.

Healy pushed back, reminding the board that taxpayers had already absorbed a significant increase last year.

Tartell shared an ambivalent thought. “The appetite for more taxes, I think, is there, but is not great,” he said.

Boucher maintained that the income level of the town had grown, but Healy disputed the claim, suggesting that IRS data demonstrates otherwise and citing a neighbor who is already struggling to make ends meet. She also pointed to Wilton’s changing demographics, with many Wilton households having two members who work full-time.

“Let me just be very blunt,” Knickerbocker said. “We have an enormous challenge … without looking at major program eliminations.”

“There will have to be some very difficult, painful decisions,” he said, pointing out that the town has more fixed costs than the school system does, leaving “almost no wiggle room with the budget,” as opposed to the Board of Education budget.

Questions were also raised about whether the town could save money on its employee pension, which Boucher said was being funded over 100%.

“I don’t know if we can look at that legally … Is it possible that we can reduce that number?” she said.

Norton said that its funding is consistent with what has been the town’s traditional policy, but added, “It can be a discussion.”

Infrastructure Issues Underscore Budget Challenges

As the meeting wound down, officials were unable to access some online data because the WiFi at Comstock Community Center, where the meeting was held, stopped working — something Knickerbocker attributed to outdated network infrastructure.

“The main switch controller is over 10 years old and it’s been out of production for five years … The real bad news is that it’s so old, the new technology is not compatible with what’s here, so much of it has to be replaced,” Knickerbocker said.

At this, Tartell made a wry observation.

“Not to make a snide remark,” he said, “but that is the way Wilton works. We take things to its logical end and then go another couple of years.”

“Particularly when it’s the Town Hall building,” Boucher agreed. “It seems to be the afterthought rather than the priority.”

More Meetings Scheduled, More Cuts Needed

The BOS is already planning to meet again on Tuesday, Feb. 25, and Boucher asked the BOS to schedule another meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27, to finalize the budget.

“I think it would be helpful, given how much ground we have to cover,” she said, noting that a joint meeting with the Board of Finance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, at which time the BOS is expected to present its budget to the financiers.