Everything Passes: Budgets, Capital Projects Referendum Results In
EDITED 4/23/25: This story has been edited to correct some numbers.
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Both the 2025-26 municipal and education budgets, as well as five proposed capital projects, all passed at referendum on April 22.
The municipal budget passed 2,479 to 1,777; the education budget margin passed, 2,432 to 1,838.
Advisory questions on whether the town budget should be higher if the budget failed went 1,266 "yes" to 2,932 "no;" the advisory question on whether the education budget should be higher if the budget vote failed went 1,748 "yes" to 2,473 "no."
This year’s proposed budget is $49,866,665 for the town and $91,744,644 for the schools, for an overall bottom line of $141,611,309. The budgets include a 6.72% tax increase, as well as a 28.78 mill rate, a 1.81 increase from last year.
For the capital projects:
A $4,600,000 special appropriation and $4,600,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, acquisition and construction of HVAC upgrades, replacements, and improvements at Cyrenius H. Booth Library passed 2,780 to 1,481.
A $4,300,000 special appropriation and $4,300,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, construction, reconstruction, remediation and replacement to the A, B, and C wings of the Newtown High School roof passed 2,941 to 1,320.
A $1,524,000 special appropriation and $1,524,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, acquisition and installation of the Newtown Community Center Pool HVAC unit passed 2,254 to 1,997.
A $1,000,000 special appropriation and $1,000,000 bond authorization for the Bridge Replacement Program passed 3,020 to 1,217.
An $855,000 special appropriation and $855,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, renovation and upgrades to Edmond Town Hall passed 2,770 to 1,490.
Turnout was 4,287 total votes out of 18,310 eligible voters, a 23.4% turnout. This marks yet another year of continuing turnout, and the passage of all the questions making this year a "one and done" ended the town having multi-referendum years before it became a streak, at only one.
Last year, 2024, ended a 10-year streak of one and done budget votes that went from 2014 to 2023. However, it also saw increased voter engagement — the education budget went down for the first time in 11 years. 1,701 No votes to 1,194 Yes votes, with a 15.1% turnout. In May, it passed 2075 Yes votes to 1198 No votes, with a turnout of 17.4%.
In 2023, Newtown had a turnout of approximately 8.8 percent, the first year of increased participation after years of waning participation, especially following the COVID pandemic. In 2022, participation was only 7.7 percent; in 2021, the turnout was 8.98 percent; in 2020, there was no budget referendum due to the pandemic; in 2019, turnout was 17 percent; in 2018, turnout was 15.7 percent; and in 2017, turnout was 19.9 percent.
See this week's print edition for reaction from town officials.
Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.
While I respect the outcome of the referendum, I’m disappointed by the way this budget was presented and passed. A 6.72% tax increase and a mill rate jump to 28.78 may have been framed as “just a few dollars a day,” but for many families in town — especially those already stretched thin — those “few dollars” add up quickly.
It’s frustrating to see large increases minimized in this way, and I worry that next year we’ll hear, “It’s only a little more than last year,” as if that justifies an ongoing trend of rising taxes. This year’s combined municipal and education budgets total over $141 million — that’s a significant sum.