Last week, I received a thoughtful email from a newcomer to town. She asked questions about the town budget, and while I could respond to some immediately, I told her I’d need more time to research the others. Here’s what I found.
Why is Stafford raising their mill rate, but Tolland proposes dropping theirs from 37.77 to 28.26?
This answer was easy! Not only did my letter writer ask the question, but she also sent me the budget document from Tolland where she had found their numbers. There are a few things to note here. Tolland is asking for:
An increase in the Board of Education budget by 2.99% or $1,311,493
An Increase in the town budget by 2.80% or $392,226
Tolland is able to draw on its emergency funds to reduce the funds that need to be raised through taxes:
“Traditionally, the town has used around $200,000 from the fund balance. This balance functions as an emergency savings account, and using it for ongoing expenses creates future revenue gaps if funding cannot be sustained. Commonly, a larger use of the fund balance occurs for non-recurring costs, such as emergency repairs or severe weather impacts…. This budget proposes using $527,000 from the unassigned fund balance and an additional $300,000 from the Municipal Tax Stabilization Fund.”
Last year, Stafford’s schools used money from the non-lapsing fund to cover expenditures, but that fund has been largely depleted. The town’s General Fund has been recovering but still isn’t large enough to draw on in this way.
When it comes to reducing the mill rate, though, here’s the real culprit:
“We have been fortunate to observe growth in real estate values, as indicated by this year's revaluation, which has positively contributed to the grand list.”
Tolland just went through its revaluation, and despite what people on the town Facebook groups will tell you, when property assessments go up, it's generally a time when the mill rate can go down. Stafford is entering a revaluation year. So, it’s entirely possible that Stafford could see a similar drop in the mill rate next year, as it is set according to the value of the grand list.
How does Stafford's budget compare to the CT towns that are close in population: Plymouth, Griswold, Granby, East Windsor, and Somers?
I haven’t found comprehensive budget information for all of these towns. Some do not yet have approved budgets and do not make it easy to find the proposed budgets. If you can find any of this missing information, please send it, and we’ll update it accordingly. Here’s what I found:
Stafford
Stafford Schools: Requested $32,788,741.33 for a 5.48% increase
Stafford BOS: Requested $16,433,874.50 for a .95% increase
East Windsor
East Windsor Schools: Requested $28,831,657.87 for a 5.44% increase
East Windsor Town: Requested $17,821,138 for a 4.81% increase
The Board of Selectmen recommended to the Board of Finance that they use $1.2 from the unassigned fund balance to offset the local tax levy.
East Windsor also recently underwent a revaluation, which caused the mill rate to drop precipitously in 2025.
Plymouth
Plymouth Schools: Requested $27,645,988 for a 3.25% increase
This budget presentation details nearly $1 million in eliminations
Plymouth Town: Requested $47,273,424 for a 2.73% increase
Granby
Granby Schools: Requested $39,418,142 for a 3.41% increase
Granby Town: Requested $18,445,571 for a 2.40% increase in the “Town Operations Budget,” which is part of the overall budget
The way this one is worded is different and, frankly, very confusing. So, be sure to go look at the numbers for yourself.
Somers
Somers Schools: Requested $30,487,415.00 for a 5.72% increase
It seems the public hearing is not until April 22, and I have not found a budget document.
Griswold
Griswold Schools: $33,370,859 for a 4.80% increase
Griswold’s Superintendent of Schools wrote a letter to the State Appropriations Committee over Education Cost Sharing and its impacts on school budgets.
Griswold Town: While budget discussions have begun, I could not find a comprehensive budget document. However, as I looked through the recent Board of Finance minutes, I found that the Tax Collector reports an overall budget increase of 1.01%. Because of how the minutes are written, I am not 100% certain whether that’s a department increase or for the entire budget, but I am inclined to think it’s for the whole budget. Interestingly, the Superintendent of Schools also reported on a budget deficit caused mainly by Special Education Costs.