Guilford voters sanction $60.62M budget

Voters sanction $60.62M budget

By: BARBARA DOUGLAS , Editor

04/13/2004

GUILFORD - Voters by a wide margin approved the proposed $60,615,260 spending plan for 2004-05 at the April 13 referendum.

The budget, which breaks down into $41,757,769 for education and $18,857,491 for town expenses (figures which include principal and interest) met with less controversy than last year's hotly debated budget plan.

Twenty-one percent, or 3,134 of the town's 14,250 registered voters braved driving rain, winds, thunder and lightening to approve the town and school budgets and all three bonding resolutions Tuesday.

In District 1, 523 voted for the budget and 349 voted against. A total of 468 voted "yes" on Question 2, an $800,000 plan for a new aerial ladder truck for the fire department. A total of 382 voted against it.

Upgrades to Little Meadow Road and Union Street (Question 3) were voter approved by 490 votes, but 361 voted against the infrastructure project. Finally, 534 voters gave the thumbs up to a plan to spend $320,000 for various school projects (Question 4) including the updating of bleachers at Guilford High School and Adams Middle School and the resurfacing of the Adams parking lot.

District 2 gave the budget the nod with 354 votes in favor and 206 against. On Question 2, the tally was 312 in favor to 233 against. On Question 3, 310 voted for infrastructure improvements while 235 rejected the plan. A total of 368 voters approved Question 4, but 189 censured the proposal.

In District 3, 590 voters sanctioned the budget while 270 rejected it. On Question 2, 503 voted in favor and 341 voted against. Road improvements were approved by 531 votes, while 308 rejected the projects. Question 4 was met with 602 votes in favor and 253 against.

District 4, representing North Guilford, approved the budget with 380 votes, while a total of 300 rejected the spending plan. The new aerial ladder truck was approved with 365 votes; 307 voters, however, rejected the expenditure. Question 3 was approved with 389 votes for and 282 against. Finally, 400 voters agreed to school upgrades while 277 denied the plan.

Absentee ballots reflected the activity at the polls. The ballots passed the budget with 36 votes in favor and 16 against. The fire truck received 34 votes of support and 18 votes against; road improvements were approved with 33 votes but rejected with 19; and school upgrades were approved with 31 votes, while 22 voted against.

In all four districts, 1,847 voters approved the 2004-05 spending plan, and 1,125 rejected it; a margin of 722 votes, according to figures released after the polls closed Tuesday night.

"I'm just delighted. I think it pays off for all the hard work and effort that's gone into it," said First Selectmen Gene Bishop Tuesday night. "I want to congratulate all the department heads who heeded our pleas to control increases other than the negotiated increases. They came through and every one of them has done a remarkable job."

Bishop gave a special nod to the school board for what he considers its efforts to control spending.

"I want to commend the Board of Education. They have managed to keep their budget at a very small increase considering the items that have to be addressed," said Bishop.

The combined 2004-05 budgets are 2.94 percent more than current expenditures.

The town budget plan of $21.55 million represents an increase of $578,776, or 2.76 percent over last year.

The school budget is $39.07 million, an increase of $1.15 million, or 3.03 percent.

"The turnout reflects the fact that it's a very good budget," said Matt Hoey of the Board of Education. "This was a good budget year. We weren't handicapped by last year's defeat in the school referendum."

Given a $22 million grand list, the Board of Finance has calculated a 21.65-mill tax rate, an increase of 0.53 mills.