School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, walked into the Newtown Middle School gymnasium just after 8 pm Tuesday, moments after the final few residents cast their budget votes, exuding quiet confidence and expressing no doubt that the 2015-16 budget proposals would pass – big time.

Apparently more superstitious, Board of Education Chairman Keith Alexander opted to wait for the final tallies, which affirmed the hopes of both officials.

The school district and town budget proposals both passed with overwhelming support from the 3,207 voters who turned out including 75 who opted to cast absentee ballots.

The final vote counts are as follows:

Town budget request: 2,379 Yes vs 814 No; and

School budget request: 2,246 Yes vs 939 No.

According to local registrars, the budget turnout Tuesday represented 18.8 percent of the 17,099 eligible voters in town.

Those voters were empowered to accept or reject a town request of $40,142,567 which includes all capital borrowing debt service for the coming fiscal year, along with a proposed school district budget of $71,587,946.

Capital debt service represents $10,110,702 of the overall municipal request.

As a result of both budgets passing, taxpayers will see the first, albeit modest, dip in taxation and the mill rate, with a slight uptick in spending, for the first time in memory.  

The approved spending plan represents a net reduction in taxation of 0.71 percent, with a new tax rate of 33.07 mills, down from the current rate of 33.31. A mill represents one dollar for every $1,000 in taxable property.

A number of officials who gathered along with Dr Erardi and Mr Alexander were elated at the results, most recognizing the level of public cooperation among town and district officials as the proposal had moved from the Boards of Education and Selectmen, through the finance board, and to the Legislative Council.

First Selectman Pat Llodra arrived at the middle school just in time for the results, and she smiled broadly as the numbers were read by polling moderator Anna Wiedemann.

Mrs Llodra remarked that this year’s budget(s), “offered something for everybody.” And she noted that the education budget had “appropriate reductions, to account for declining enrollment, for example.

The first selectman said that voters recognized the merits of the budgets and understood that the Town officials worked well together developing their respective spending plans.

Regarding the town side request, she said: “This budget begins to address some of the very pressing issues, such as roads and IT staffing, while at the same time reducing the level of taxes.

“Our commitment is to use these resources wisely and focus on continued grand list growth for the community so that we can continue to ease the level of taxation,” Mrs Llodra said.

Mr Alexander said the budget passage represented the proposal “was the right thing for the town.

“I’m pleased to see that the taxpayers recognized the work that was done to craft and review a respectful budget that provides the funds that the town needs to keep moving forward,” he added.

Council Chair Mary Ann Jacob shared a quick hug and happy sentiments with elected colleagues who gathered to hear the referendum results.

Dr Erardi said he believed that the voting outcome was the result of an evident and strong partnership among town officials at all levels.

“I think the community saw a unified front, and the bottom line was a resounding Yes vote for a plan I believe gives us the opportunity to maintain core education with initiatives that will move the dial forward,

Noting the affirmative district budget votes that outpaced No votes more than 2-1, Dr Erardi credited a community that was well-informed. At the same time the superintendent ventured that the relatively low voter turnout could be attributed to a growing opinion that heightened cooperation among officials virtually assured the proposals would pass.

“I’m really pleased with the margin — two and a half to one on the district side, and three to one on the town side," Dr Erardi added. “I think that’s a strong endorsement on the work of our elected officials and how hard they worked to be sure voters understood what these budgets stood for.”

Offering his own personal acknowledgement on the role of the Superintendent of Schools in the process, school board member John Vouros described Dr Erardi as “an inspiration,” saying the district’s top official gave the town 190 percent as he “maintained and enhanced this budget.”