Town Budget Information

 

Audit Reports (at the top of the page- see Entity- put Voluntown, for Type choose Municipality, click on Refine)

FY 24/25 Budget Information

Posted 5/2/24

Updated 5/22/24

May 2, 2024

Voluntown Residents,

The Board of Selectmen approved the 2024-2025 General Government Budget Proposal at the April 23, 2024 meeting. The 2024-2025 General Government Budget Proposal shows an increase of $169,834.

A public hearing for the proposed general government budget will be held on May 7 at 6:00PM at the Town Hall Meeting Room.  It will be livestreamed on the Town of Voluntown- Government YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdF6kZQMhDVNetgjDX2MAQ) where the hearing can be viewed only. Questions must be asked in person, or submitted to the Board before 4:00PM on May 6 to jzelinsky@voluntown.gov. Questions submitted via email will be answered during the Public Hearing.

2024- 2025 General Government Budget Proposal Key Changes:

  • Service contracts and general expenses have increased.
  • The Town Hall Aid position has increased hours.
  • Public works truck repairs and maintenance has increased. Tree removal expenses have increased and more money is needed for the line item (as opposed to keeping a recurring expense as a capital project).
  • Public Safety fire protection costs have increased.
  • Early voting expenses have been added for the 2024 election.
  • Due to changes in state reporting, LoCIP funding needs to be accounted for as an expenditure. It is counted also as a revenue.

The Board of Education is still finalizing their proposed budget so an estimate can not be made yet on the mill rate change.

NEW DATE- WEDNESDAY, MAY 29- Annual Town Meeting . will be held in the gymnasium at the Voluntown Elementary School starting at 7PM. The sale of the town owned property at 2 Church Street and the ordinance amendments will be voted on at this meeting. 

NEW DATE- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5-  Referendum will be held in Town Hall Meeting room 12-8pm with a Special Board of Selectmen’s Meeting to follow. The referendum is to vote on the government budget, board of education budget and the capital projects budget only. 

 Sincerely,

Tracey Hanson

Proposed Town Government Budget FY 24/25

Public Hearing May 7, 2024

Town Meeting May 28, 2024

Referendum 6/5/24

 

 

 

FY 23/24 Budget

Posted 5/31/23

The Annual Town Meeting was held on May 3oth. The results are below.

  1. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Selectmen’s Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 in the amount of $2,470,871 (two million, four hundred seventy thousand, eight hundred seventy-one dollars). APPROVED
  2. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Education Budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024 in the amount of $7,055,334 (seven million, fifty-five thousand, three hundred thirty-four dollars). APPROVED
  3. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Capital Projects Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 in the amount of $380,000 (three hundred eighty thousand dollars) from the unassigned fund. APPROVED
  4. To consider and act on the following proposed Ordinances:
        • Library and Board of Trustees Ordinance  APPROVED
        • Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance  APPROVED

Annual Town Meeting slideshow, minutes, and link to the YouTube video is below.

The town government slide show.

Annual Town Meeting Minutes- 5/30/23

The meeting can be viewed on the Town of Voluntown- Government YouTube channel. We apologize for the sound as the microphones were out of order!

The Board of Selectmen held a special meeting following the town meeting and set the mill rate to 27.77, which is no change. The minutes are below.

Special Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes- 5/30/23

TOWN OF VOLUNTOWN
Notice of Annual Town Meeting
MAY 30, 2023

 

This public meeting is being held in person and will be livestreamed on the town YouTube channel which is: Town of Voluntown, CT-Government, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdF6kZQMhDVNetgjDX2MAQ. Eligible residents and electors must be present in person to participate and vote.

The electors and citizens qualified to vote in the annual budget meeting of the Town of Voluntown are hereby warned that the annual town meeting will be held on Tuesday May 30, 2023 at the Voluntown Elementary School, 195 Main St, in Voluntown, Connecticut, at 7:00 pm for the following purposes. 

  1. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Selectmen’s Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 in the amount of $2,470,871 (two million, four hundred seventy thousand, eight hundred seventy-one dollars).
  2. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Education Budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024 in the amount of $7,055,334 (seven million, fifty-five thousand, three hundred thirty-four dollars).
  3. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Capital Projects Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 in the amount of $380,000 (three hundred eighty thousand dollars) from the unassigned fund.
  4. To consider and act on the following proposed Ordinances:
        • Library and Board of Trustees Ordinance
        • Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

First Selectman                                Selectman                               Selectman

           Tracey Hanson                               Mark Oulton                             Robert Thevenet

Proposed Town Government Budget FY23/24

Proposed Board of Education Budget FY/23/24

Capital Improvement Plan Report and Recommendations with Capital Improvement Plan 2020-30 

Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

Library and Board of Trustees Ordinance

Letter to Residents

Public Hearing

A Public Hearing was held on May 16 for the government budget, Library and Board of Trustees Ordinance, and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. It was livestreamed on the Town of Voluntown- Government YouTube and can be viewed below. The slideshow is also below.

Public Hearing Slide Show

 

May 11, 2023

Voluntown Residents,

The Board of Selectmen approved the 2023-2024 General Government Budget Proposal at the May 9, 2023 meeting. The 2023-2024 General Government Budget Proposal shows an increase of $87,454.

Community input on the proposed budget, and on the proposed Flood Prevention and Library and Library Trustees ordinances will be gathered at the May 16, 2023 Public Hearing that will be held at the Town Hall Meeting Room at 6:00PM. It will be livestreamed on the Town of Voluntown- Government YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdF6kZQMhDVNetgjDX2MAQ) where the hearing can be viewed only. Questions must be asked in person, or submitted to the Board before 4:00PM on May 16 to jzelinsky@voluntown.gov. Questions submitted via email will be answered during the Public Hearing.

2023- 2024 General Government Budget Proposal Key Changes:

  • The cost of the Planning & Development Director has been paid for the last two years by ARPA funds. The expense of this position is now incorporated into the Board of Selectmen’s budget, and the Planning & Zoning Commission’s budget.
  • Public Works shows an increase of $29,028. This is due to the additional lease for a new plow truck, and the addition of a line item for engineering costs.
  • A full-time Zoning and Land Use Secretary and General Office Secretary position has been added. This was previously a part-time position.
  • Cyber security insurance has increased, and cyber security features are being implemented.

 

At this time, we are unable to determine the mill rate. We are waiting on the State budget to see if the $95,043.00 cut to the Education Cost Sharing grant goes through. On a positive note, the Town projects a $120,000 revenue increase. If we get cut in the ECS funding, we anticipate a slight mill rate increase. If not, there will be a slight mill rate decrease.

The Annual Town Meeting will be held on May 30, 2023 at the Voluntown Elementary School gymnasium at 7:00PM.

 Sincerely,

Tracey Hanson

The results to the June 7 Referendum can be found in the minutes of the Annual Meeting, which are here. (Scroll to the end of the pdf. for totals)

More information on Questions 2-5 below. The proposed budgets, if approved, would bring us to a 27.77 mill rate, a .31 decrease.

Question 2: Board of Selectman Budget View the FY 22/23 General Government Proposed Budget here.

Question 3: Board of Education Budget View the FY 22/23 Board of Education Proposed Budget here. 

Question 4: Capital Projects Budget View the Proposed Capital Improvement Program Funding here.

Question 5: The position of a Seasonal Resident Trooper has been approved by the State Police for the Town of Voluntown. A Seasonal Resident Trooper will work April 1 to October 1 for 40 hours a week on a schedule that is negotiated with the Selectmen’s office. If approved by residents, the Seasonal Resident Trooper will be able to start on July 1, 2022.

The Annual Town Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 24, at 7pm in the VES gym. Read the Meeting Call HERE.    View the meeting on YouTube HERE. 

***Please note: The Referendum date has been changed to June 7, 2022. It will be held from 12-8 at Town Hall. ***

The May 4th Public Hearing on the FY 22/23 Government Budge Proposal is on YouTube and can be viewed HERE.

View the FY 22/23 Town of Voluntown Revenue Budget here. 

Annual Town Meeting May 24, 2022 Slide Show Presentation

* This ordinance 7-1 was repealed at the May 24, 2022 Annual Town Meeting with a unanimous vote.

ORDINANCE 7-1

§ 7-1 Time and date.
Code/Ch 7: Administration of Government/Ch 7 Art I: Referenda
All referenda held in the Town of Voluntown shall be held during the period of 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., on a Tuesday, such date to be set by the Board of Selectmen.Reason for repeal: So that referendums can be held on other days besides Tuesdays. State Statute already requires for them to be held 12-8PM.

April 28, 2022 

Voluntown Residents, 

The Board of Selectmen approved the 2022-2023 General Government Budget Proposal at the April 26, 2022 meeting. The attached 2022-2023 General Government Budget Proposal shows an increase of $179,295.  

Community input on the proposed budget will be gathered at the May 4, 2022 Public Hearing that will be held at the Town Hall Meeting Room at 6:00 PM. The Annual Town Meeting will be held on May 24, 2022 at 7:00 PM at the Voluntown Elementary School gymnasium.  

The 2022-2023 General Government Budget Proposal includes: 

  • Projected increases in costs due to inflation of diesel fuel, electricity, salt and sand, municipal waste, health insurance, liability and property insurance, minimum wage 
  • Increases in services to the community which include senior & disabled transportation, senior programs, OpenGov, TextMyGov, and salary of the First Selectman 
  • Increase in revenue that includes an increase in the grand list and a $60,434 increase in PILOT funding 

At this time, we are looking at a mill rate decrease, but we are still waiting for the final revenue figures from the state and the Board of Education finalized budget.  

The Board of Selectmen has decided to move the budget votes to a referendum which will be held on June 7, 2022* at the Voluntown Town Hall from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A vote on a resident state trooper, and the approval of an additional appropriation to cover the cost of at least the first year of resident state trooper will also be added to the referendum.  

 Sincerely, 

Tracey Hanson
First Selectman 

*The referendum date has changed since this notice was originally published.

Past Years Fiscal Budget Information

Proposed FY 21/22 General Government Budget and Capital Improvement Program Budget 

TOWN OF VOLUNTOWN

Notice of Annual Town Budget Meeting

May 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.

The Board of Selectmen of the Town of Voluntown, Connecticut hereby warns and gives notice that the Annual Town Meeting of the Town will be held at the Voluntown Elementary School 195 Main St., Voluntown, Connecticut on Tuesday May 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.   This meeting is a hybrid meeting and can also be participated in via zoom. Electors and all others eligible to vote in town meetings in the Town of Voluntown must register with their legal name that appears on the Tax list or their voter registration card through the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkc-uurTgiHNUZv0Re76lTlEjEcVHJkRvR. All users will be approved before being allowed into the meeting.  Participants on zoom will be voting via poll.

  1. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Selectmen’s Budget for the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 in the amount of $2,204,125 (two million, two hundred four thousand, one hundred twenty-five dollars).
  2. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Education Budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022 in the amount of $6,785,196 (six million, seven hundred eighty-five thousand, one hundred ninety-six dollars).
  3. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Capital Projects Budget for the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 in the amount of $179,000 (one hundred seventy-nine thousand dollars) from the unassigned fund

Public Hearing May 18, 2021

Town Government Budget 2021-22

Capital Projects Budget 2021-2022

Annual Town Meeting 5-25-2021 -Presentation

Town Government Revenue Budget 2021-22

Note: The Capital Improvement Program Budget is funded from the undesignated fund per the Town of Voluntown General Fund Balance Policy. It is not included in Government Budget and is not included in the mill rate.

To view the Board of Education Budget, visit their website page.

The Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday June 9, 2020 at 6:00 pm for the following purposes, to wit:

a. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Selectmen’s Budget for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 in the amount of $2,016,393 (two million, sixteen thousand, three hundred ninety-three dollars).
ALL APPROVED.

b. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Board of Education Budget for the fiscal year 2020-2021 in the amount of $6,785,196 (six million, seven hundred eighty-five thousand, one hundred ninety-six dollars).
ALL APPROVED.

c. To appropriate the funds necessary for the Capital Projects Budget for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 in the amount of $162,817 (one hundred sixty-two thousand, eight hundred seventeen dollars) from the unassigned fund.
ALL APPROVED.

d. To set a tax rate and collection period for Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
A mill rate of 29.21 for FY 20/21 was set.
ALL APPROVED.

There will be no tax increase for Voluntown residents for FY 20/21

The June 9th Board of Selectmen’s meeting can be viewed here.

Board of Selectmen Meeting June 9@6PM: BOS Votes on Budgets and Appropriations

Per Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7HH,  the Board of Selectmen will vote on the FY21 proposed budgets and proposed appropriations at the June 9th Board of Selectmen meeting. The Agenda can be viewed here.  This will be a Zoom meeting and residents can watch livestream via the town’s YouTube page. Public comments can  be sent to voluntownwebsite@gmail.com up to one hour before the start of the meeting and will be read during Citizens Comments on the Agenda. The public will be able to view the meeting livestream via the town’s YouTube channel. 

Public Hearing on BOS and BOE Proposed FY21 Budgets


2020-2021 Town Budget Information

May 20, 2020 

Voluntown Residents, 

The budget planning for Fiscal Year 20/21 has been a challenging process, to say the least. The Board of Selectmen have gone back to the budget multiple times to make sure that we are fulfilling our financial obligations, as well as meeting the needs of our residents. We also understand that many residents are currently, or have been, out of work the past couple of months and are facing financial challenges of their own. Knowing that residents could be struggling to pay their property taxes this year, we have approved a deferment payment program which gives residents an additional 90 days to pay their taxes without penalty, if they need that time to do so.  Also, working together with the Board of Education, we have formulated budgets that have a zero-mill rate increase.  

To keep our spending as low as possible for fiscal year 20/21, the Board of Selectmen have decided that there will be no cost of living increase for town employees, unless they have that increase in their contracts. We have tabled the plan to hire a town planner, and additional part time staff in the town hall. We have not put the money into capital projects, like paving and tree removal, like we have in the past. The Government budget has an increase of $52, 316 due to the increases in health insurance, liability insurance, workmen’s compensation, and the loss in investment and grant revenue that we have been hit with.  

For capital projects this year, we are planning to pay off the plow truck that we added to the budget as a lease last fiscal year, and put money aside for the library roof replacement and for breathing apparatuses for the fire department. This money comes out of the undesignated fund as an appropriation and does not come from FY20/21 property taxes. These appropriations still leave us with a healthy fund balance, which we will need to cover our financial responsibilities with the 90-day extension on the tax payment deadline. It will also help mitigate any loss in state revenue that we have accounted for but are not guaranteed.  With the casinos being closed we don’t know if we will receive the full amount of Mashantucket Pequot Fund revenue we expect. We also don’t know what the state’s plans are with funding PILOT, which we greatly depend on.  

We have been able to put the mill rate at a zero increase do the increase in our grand list total, and because we added $30,000 to the revenue budget with the Special Education Excess Cost Grant that is received annually. This grant was not previously accounted for in revenue.  The Board of Education agreeing to put the BOE budget at a zero increase was a huge part in making the zero-mill increase possible. Yay teamwork! 

Due to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7HH, residents will not be voting on the FY 20/21 Board of Selectmen and Board of Education Budgets. Under Executive Order No. 7HH, the Board of Selectmen, as the budget making authority of the municipality, will be voting on the proposed General Government and Board of Education budgets, as well as the Capital Project Budget and appropriations on June 9th.  There will be a virtual Budget Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 26, held via Zoom. Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education will be presenting their budget proposals and answering resident questions. Information on how to participate is below and is on the town website at www. voluntown.gov. 

We are facing a challenging next couple of years financially. We are anticipating fiscal year 21/22 budget to be even more challenging as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are far reaching.  

Sincerely, 

Tracey Hanson
 First Selectman 

Proposed FY 20/21 General Government Budget and Capital Improvement Program Budget 

Town Government Budget 2020-21 Revenue

Town Government Budget 2020-21

Capital Projects budget 2021

Budget Presentation FY 20-21

Public Hearing BOS & BOS Video

Note: The Capital Improvement Program Budget is funded from the undesignated fund per the Town of Voluntown General Fund Balance Policy. It is not included in Government Budget and is not included in the mill rate.

To view the Board of Education Budget, visit their website page.

Capital Improvement Program 2020-2025, passed by BOS on 5/7/19

Audit Reports (at the top of the page- see Entity- put Voluntown, for Type choose Municipality, click on Refine)

PUBLIC HEARING MAY 26, 2020 AT 7:00PM

The Public Hearing on the Board of Selectmen and Board of Education Budgets for Fiscal Year 20/21 will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom and livestreamed on the town YouTube channel which is: Town of Voluntown, CT-Government, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdF6kZQMhDVNetgjDX2MAQ.  To submit a public comment, please send an email to voluntownwebsite@gmail.com at least one hour before the scheduled meeting time.

The public will be allowed to attend the meeting via zoom in listen only mode.  If you wish to make a comment during the hearing, see instructions below. Public comments and questions will only be done during the Public Comments portion on the Agenda

Zoom instructions Dialing in by Phone only:

1. Please call: 1-929-436-2866

2. When prompted for participant or meeting ID enter: 835 4260 8299 then press #. Password 5880#

3. You will then enter the meeting muted. During Public Comment if you wish to speak press *9 to Raise your hand if you called in. The host will then let you know when you its your turn to speak.

Joining in Computer:

Please go to the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83542608299

1. When prompted for participant or password: 5880 then press #.

2. Only if your computer has a microphone for two way communication, then during Public comment if you wish to speak press Raise Hand in the webinar control. If you do not have a microphone you will need to call in on a phone in order to speak. The host will let you know when it’s your turn to speak.

BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA

I. Welcome from the First Selectman 

II. Introductions  

III. Board of Selectmen- Budget Presentation 

IV.  Board of Education- Budget Presentation 

V. Public Comments and Questions 

VI. Adjournment