Politics & Government

Voters Approve Windsor Locks Budget in Landslide

The $44.49 million budget is a $1.4 million or 3.27 percent increase.

 

Voters overwhelmingly approved Windsor Locks’  $44.49 million 2012-13 budget Tuesday.

The budget was approved 148-17 during a short town meeting at . No one spoke before the paper ballot vote took place.

The budget represents a 3.27 percent increase over the current spending plan and will increase the tax rate by 0.87 mills to 24.27 mills, officials said.

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Cornelius O’Leary, board of finance chairman, said he thought the vote was a good affirmation of the hard work town employees and leaders have done putting the budget together.

O’Leary said the voter turnout for the vote was more than last year’s.

“It was an excellent turnout,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary said at the April public hearing the average assessed value of homes in Windsor Locks is $125,000 and $150,000. The $125,000 home would see a $109 annual increase and a $150,000 home would see a $130 annual increase, he said.

First Selectman Steven N. Wawruck Jr. said he was very pleased with the turnout. Wawruck said the town’s education system will benefit immensely from the budget, which will begin to address the substandard test scores the schools have seen.

The board of education’s $28.64 million budget is a 4.7 percent increase over this year’s budget, but is $150,000 less than originally proposed to the board of finance.

Superintendent of Schools Wayne Sweeney said the vote was emblematic of the town coming together to achieve something.

“When people work together, absolutely anything can be accomplished,” Sweeney said.

The budget does have $159,000 in new initiatives in the budget, Sweeney said during the April public hearing. One of the proposals is to extend the school day and the school year for students whom data shows need help, he said.

The other is to create multiple pathways for students’ education besides magnet schools in Bloomfield and Hartford, Sweeney said. The program would create opportunities such as taking classes at Asnuntuck Community College to experience what college is like, Sweeney said.

The budget will allow the school system to implement the initiatives and not have to reduce personnel, Sweeney said.

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