Avon Council Defies Voters, Adopts Town/School Budgets Anyway

AVON, CT — Despite voters trouncing town/school spending plans three times at the polls, the Avon Town Council Wednesday officially adopted a 2024-25 budget package and set a tax rate.

Avon Town Manager Brandon Robertson said the council, comprised of five Democrats and one Republican, approved a $115.47 million town/school budget and set a mill rate of 29.66, which is a net tax increase of 0.99 percent.

The move comes after another round of minor budget tweaks to spending plans that voters did not even come close to approving.

This is allowed, according to Avon officials, based on the town charter, which allows the council to adopt a budget after three failed referendums.

Local leaders cited legal opinions dating back to 2002 that justify the council's unilateral adoption of a spending plan, something that irks some residents.

Robertson said if the community wants to change the charter and the way it approves budget, state statutes outline a procedure where a town can make such a revision.

Basically, towns can create a charter revision commission based on council action, which then makes a recommendation to the town's highest elected body (Avon Town Council).

Ultimately, voters themselves have the final say on any charter revisions.

After twice shooting down $116.1 million budgets during prior votes in May and June, voters Monday, July 8, shot down a $115.5 million town/school spending plan.

That spending plan was still $5.38 million larger than current spending, but the mill rate, according to the town, would have remained the same at 29.37.

Previous potential mill rates exceeded the 30-mill mark.

Following another round of budgetary tweaks on Wednesday, the mill rate increased slightly, to 29.66.

Despite a net tax hike of less than 1 percent, some taxpayers will see much larger tax increases due to their property values increasing, a byproduct of a recently completed revaluation.

That revaluation and the post-reval sticker shock appeared to play a major role in prior budgets failing at the polls.

The Town of Avon had set up a web page that allows taxpayers to calculate their tax bill based on the 2024-25 budget.

With an approved budget now in place, taxpayers can expect to receive tax bills soon.

Those bills will be due and payable Aug. 1 with the last day to pay without penalty being Sept. 3, according to town officials.

"Please note that tax bills will be made available on the town’s website approximately one week after a budget is adopted and the mill rate is set," wrote the Town of Avon in an announcement.

"Taxpayers may visit the town’s website to review their bills and make payments at that time. There is no need to wait to receive a hard copy of your bill in the mail."

For more information on the Avon Town Council decision, including links to the meeting itself, click on this link.

From July 9: 'Avon Voters Blast Budgets Again (But It Might Not Matter): UPDATE'

To access the Town of Avon's website, click on this link.