Budget set for third referendum, tax increase set at 0.00 percent

Avon residents share their thoughts on the proposed 2023-24 town budget during a public hearing hosted by the Board of Finance Monday at the Avon Senior Center.

AVON, June 24, 2024 – Avon’s Board of Finance voted Monday night to send a town budget of $115.4 million town voters on Monday, July 8.

It will be the third and final budget referendum of the budget season. If the budget is rejected, the Town Charter calls for the Town Council to set the new 2024-25 fiscal year budget.

The Board of Finance voted 4-2 Monday night to move $932,204 from town’s unallocated fund into the budget to reduce the tax increase to 0.00 percent. The budget crafted by the Town Council, Board of Finance and Board of Education at the recent budget workshop on June 18 called for a tax increase of 0.99 percent.

The budget workshop cut $614,408 from the second referendum of $116.087 million with cuts from the Board of Education, the Cider Brook road reconstruction project and town operating expenditures.

A decision at the budget workshop was to move $1.25 million from the unassigned fund balance into the budget to help lower the tax rate.

The second referendum on June 7 failed on a vote of 1,745 to 686 or 71 percent to 39 percent opposing the budget. It was the first time since 2008 that Avon voters defeated two budget proposals.

The first budget referendum on May 15 failed by an even larger margin of 1,378 to 299 votes or a margin of 82.1 percent to 17.8 percent. It was the largest margin to defeat a town budget since at least 1999, according to town records.

Avon residents speak to the Board of Finance at Monday’s public hearing at the Avon Senior Center.

The proposed budget is 4.88 percent and $5.3 million higher than it was in fiscal year 2023-24 that ends at the end of this month. The town operating budget will increase $1.13 million or 3.8 percent with the Board of Education budget rising $3.0 million or 4.45 percent.

An estimated 200 residents filled the Avon Senior Center for the public hearing with more than 70 residents watching online.

2024-25 fiscal year budget documents