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Friday, May 26, 2006

BY SYDNEY SCHWARTZ

Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

WOODBURY — Low turnout meant failure for a proposed 2006-07 town and school budget Thursday, but nobody's really sure why.

Residents defeated the proposed $25.9 million budget by nine votes after only 6.7 percent of those eligible turned out at the polls.

It was the first time a budget has failed since residents started voting at referendum instead of Town Meeting five years ago and the first time in town history for a municipal budget to fail when a Region 14 school budget passed, First Selectman Richard Crane said.

"It's been an extremely low voter turnout," he said. "People are more concerned about getting ready for the holiday weekend."

Crane said he thinks people didn't turn out because they don't care about the town budget and were confused about what they were voting on. He said more than 10 people called his office to find out what they were voting on.

There was no opposition to the proposal at a Board of Finance budget presentation May 15, despite a crowd of more than 60 residents.

"I don't think that anybody expected this," said William T. Drakeley Sr., chairman of the Board of Finance. "Anything can happen on a low voter turnout but half the people voted 'no,' so we'll have to deal with it."

The budget represented an increase of $1.4 million, or 5.8 percent, over this year's budget of $24.5 million. But most of the increases were due to the Region 14 school system budget, which passed at referendum May 2.

Woodbury's portion of the Region 14 plan is $18.06 million, up $1.2 million, or 7.2 percent, from the current budget. The municipal proposal was $7.8 million, up $217,976, or 2.9 percent, from the current spending plan.

Woodbury resident Bill Taff, who voted for the proposal, said he thinks residents were pleased with the budget so they didn't come out to vote.

"I think it just didn't pass because there was a low vote. I don't think people were dissatisfied with the town budget," he said. "But the 'no' voters came out."

Drakeley said the Board of Finance would likely hold a special meeting Wednesday or Thursday of next week to revise the proposal.

But he said there's not much left to cut.

The board already decided to cut $170,000 for the town's capital nonrecurring fund and use about $300,000 in surplus money to lower the tax rate increase.

"We were surprised," Drakeley said. "All of the surrounding towns passed their budgets without any difficulty."

After the Board of Finance revises the budget, it will set a town meeting date for more than 10 days later. A referendum will follow within seven to 10 days, he said.

Crane was not sure Thursday night whether there is a deadline for another vote but said the Board of Selectman must set a mill rate by Aug. 1 if the Board of Finance has not yet done so.

How they voted...

Total: 453 or 6.7 percent of eligible voters

No: 231/ Yes: 222