741 Colonel Ledyard Highway  
Ledyard, Connecticut 06339  
TOWN OF LEDYARD  
Finance Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
Chairman S. Naomi  
Rodriguez  
Sp. Finance Cmt Mtg-Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget  
Wednesday, April 23, 2025  
6:15 PM  
Town Hall Annex Building - Hybrid  
Format  
In -Person: Council Chambers, Town Hall Annex Building  
Remote Participation: Information Noted Below  
Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:  
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84728322873?pwd=zWVoNkssO9qnfSa5VbnbPlQLiOAjEW.1  
by Audio only: Telephone: +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 847 2832 2873; Passcode:  
898241  
I
CALL TO ORDER  
the Meeting was called to order by Committee Chairman Councilor Saccone at 5:00  
p.m. at the Council Chambers Town Hall Annex Building.  
Councilor Saccone welcomed all to the Hybrid Meeting. He stated for the Town  
Council Finance Committee and members of the Public who were participating via  
video conference that the remote meeting information was available on the Agenda  
that was posted on the Town’s Website - Granicus-Legistar Meeting Portal.  
II.  
ROLL CALL  
Tony Saccone  
Jessica Buhle  
Tim Ryan  
Present:  
In addition, the following were present:  
S. Naomi Rodriguez, Town Council Chairman  
Bill Barnes, Town Councilor  
Fred Allyn, III, Mayor  
Matthew Bonin, Finance Director  
Jason Hartling, School Superintendent  
Earl (Ty) Lamb, Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman  
Roxanne Maher, Administrative Assistant  
VII. NEW BUSINESS  
MOTION to adopt a proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in the amount of $71,062,240  
comprised of:  
* General Government: $30,395,998_  
* Board of Education: $40,667,242 .  
Councilor Saccone stated in accordance with Chapter VII; Section 5 of the Town  
Charter a Public Hearing regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget was  
held on Monday, April 21, 2025, noting that the purpose of tonight’s meeting was to  
review residents comments and determine if any additional budget adjustments  
should be made prior to the Town Council voting to submit the budget to the  
townspeople at the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for May 19, 2025 that would  
adjourn to a vote on the voting machines on May 20, 2025.  
Councilor Saccone stated during the April 21, 2025 Public Hearing that he presented  
the General Government’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in the amount of  
$30,394,998; and School Superintendent Hartling presented the Board of Education’s  
proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in the amount of $40,667,242. He stated of  
the 5 or 6 residents who attended the Public Hearing only one resident provided  
comments, and one resident had a question, noting that they did not have a good  
turnout. He expressed concern regarding the low attendance at the Public Hearing  
explaining that the purpose of the Public Hearing was for residents to provide  
comments and or recommendations regarding the proposed budget on behalf of  
themselves and their neighbors.  
Councilor Saccone went on to state the Mayor submitted his proposed Fiscal Year  
2025/2026 Budget to the Town Council on March 3, 2025 (first Monday in March) in  
accordance with the Chapter VII; Section 4, of the Town Charter. He went on to note  
the Finance Committee held three Budget Work Sessions on March 6, 10, & 18, 2025  
to meet with the Mayor and Department Heads.  
Councilor Saccone stated when the Mayor received the budget requests from his  
Department Heads and from the Board of Education that the budget was calling for a  
5 mil increase. He stated the Mayor did a good job to reduce expenses and presented  
a proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget to the Town Council calling for a 3.15 mil  
increase. He went on to note that the Finance Committee reviewed the proposed  
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budgets with the Department Heads line by line and worked  
to further reduce the Budget increase. He stated the proposed Fiscal Year Budget in  
the amount of $71,062,240 was calling for a 2.76 mil increase; for a projected Mil  
Rate of 37.97.  
Councilor Saccone stated although the projected 2.7 mil increase was a large increase  
that 60% to 70% of the costs were contractual and were out of their control. He  
explained that the Finance Committee worked to balance the inflationary costs for  
operational expenses with the projected decreases in revenue. He noted that the 2024  
total net Grand List in the amount of $1,311,231,566 saw a 0.51% decrease or a  
$6,699,094 loss in assessed value. He stated this was mostly driven by the State’s  
motor vehicle modified deprecation schedule and motor vehicle tax cap, as well as  
the new Veterans Property tax exemption that has resulted in a $520,000 reduction in  
tax revenues, as well as less grant funding coming in from the State, noting that it  
was the perfect storm.  
Councilor Saccone stated that he understands how the 2.7 mil increase would affect  
homeowners, noting that he lived on Richard Road and that he supported the  
proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget in the amount of $71,062,240; comprised of  
a General Government of $30,394,998 4.24% increase; and a Board of Education  
$40,667,242; an increase of 5.98%.  
Councilor Ryan stated that he was also disappointed that they did not have more  
residents attend the April 21, 2025 Public Hearing. He stated that Mr. Mike Cherry  
was the only resident that provided comments, noting that he had some interesting  
things to say, which he took were in support of the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026  
Budget. He noted that it was his opinion that Mr. Cherry was in support of  
transitioning the Board of  
Education Healthcare expenses from the General Government side of the budget  
ledger back to the Board of Education side of the budget ledger. Councilor Ryan  
stated that he continued to think it made sense for each of their expenses to be  
properly recorded in their respective areas.  
Councilor Ryan went on to state that his feelings on the proposed Fiscal Year  
2025/2026 Budget have not changed because he did not think that it was responsible  
to pass this much of an increase on to the townspeople with two major unknowns: (1)  
2025 Revaluation would disproportionately affect households. Councilor Ryan stated  
because their commercial properties would be paying less property tax; that their  
single-family houses would be paying more of the town’s revenue; and (2) The  
proposed Legislation that was designed to eliminate the Town’s ability to collect  
personal property tax from the third-party private vendors operating at the  
Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino. He explained if this piece of  
Legislation was approved by the State that Ledyard would see a loss of $625,000 to  
$825,000 in tax revenues from commercial businesses such as the Tanger Outlet,  
California Pizza Kitchen, Dunkin Donuts, etc.; and Ledyard Residents were going to  
have a $625,0000 - $825,000 hole in their revenue budget that they would need to  
fill.  
Councilor Ryan stated because of the unknowns he has been discussing at every  
meeting that he did not think the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget was a  
responsible budget increase this year, especially given the fact that surrounding  
communities have routinely been cited challenging their Board of Education  
Budgets. He stated that he did did not feel that the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026  
Budget was a great budget to put on Ledyard’s residents.  
Councilor Ryan continued by addressing the Board of Education’s proposed Fiscal  
Year Budget stating that the Town Council was not allowed to peel apart the  
education budget line item by line item. However, he stated the Board of Education  
indicated that 70% of their budget was to maintain services; therefore, he stated the  
other amount was to improve services/programs. He stated that he was in favor of  
maintaining what we have, and to ever so slightly improve programs/services. He  
stated during the past five years Ledyard has approved to increase the Board of  
Education budget every year, with the exception of one year when the budget was flat  
funded. Therefore, he stated that there has been a steady increase in the school  
budget. He went on to state this year there were a number of neighboring  
municipalities that have challenged their Board of Education’s budgets, to the tune of  
millions of dollars which speaks volumes, especially when this Finance Committee  
did not challenge Ledyard’s Education Budget at all; noting that this was a lost  
opportunity. However, he stated that they would have to see how the vote goes,  
noting that Ledyard’s taxpayers would have to pay 70% of the revenues to support  
the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget.  
Mayor Allyn, III, stated that he was stunned by the lack of turnout at the April 21  
2025 Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget Public Hearing. He stated with the projected 2.7  
mil increase, which was going to probably be the highest mil rate increase in the last  
20 years, they moved the venue to the Middle School to have more space because he  
thought the proposed budget would generate more interest from the voters. He stated  
with the low attendance they could have held the Public Hearing at the Council  
Chambers.  
Mayor Allyn went on to note that neither of the two people that spoke, which was  
former Mayor Mary McGrattan and resident Mike Cherry had a real issue with the  
proposed Budget. He went on to note in talking with a couple of residents that  
attended the Public Hearing they stated the following:  
· The Town should not have Public Hearings on nights that kids have sports.  
· Did not know the Town was having a Public Hearing regarding the Fiscal Year  
2025/2026 Budget.  
Mayor Allyn noted that these comments were nothing new, stating that the Town has  
done everything they could to get the word out about the Annual Budget Process and  
the upcoming meetings. He noted that in addition to all the meetings being available  
on the Town’s Meeting Portal that the public could access via their computer, smart  
phone or tablet 24/7; that the Public Hearing was Noticed in The Day Newspaper, in  
the Events Magazine, on the two Digital Message Boards (Gales Ferry & Ledyard  
Center); and that he posted it on his social media page, as well as being discussed at  
multiple meetings. However, he stated that his counterparts at Southeastern  
Connecticut Council of Governments (SCCOG) have all expressed the same  
concerns that residents say that they did not know about the Public Hearing. He went  
on to state that the Annual Budget Process was not new, noting that since the first  
Town Charter was adopted in 1971 the Town has held their Budget Public Hearing in  
April and the Annual Town Meeting has been held on the third Monday in May with  
the Referendum on the voting machines the following day (Tuesday). He stated that  
he hoped that they could get the residents attention for the May 20, 2025 Referendum  
Vote; because in addition to the Budget, the townspeople were also being asked to  
vote on a request to increase the Bond Authorization to move forward with the Juliet  
W. Long School Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Project.  
Councilor Buhle stated that she was also disappointed with the low turnout at the  
April 21, 2025 Public Hearing regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget.  
She stated that she and Councilor Brunelle and the Community Relations Committee  
for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion have been working hard to expand awareness on  
how to use the meeting portal and the town website to be informed of town meetings  
and events. Councilor Buhle went on to state in speaking with her neighbor Mr. Mike  
Cherry after the April 21, 2025 Public Hearing about the low turnout that Mr. Cherry  
also noted the very low turnout at all of the Budget Work Sessions (March 6, 10, 18,  
2025).  
Councilor Buhle went on to state in defending the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026  
Budget that what the Finance Committee has put forward to the Town Council was  
not the budget that was put in front of them. She stated that while she understood  
Councilor Ryan's concerns that the only other budget adjustments they could make at  
this point was to the Board of Education Budget, that she felt that the Finance  
Committee has done everything else.  
Councilor Buhle continued by noting that she also understands the desire for two  
separate budgets (General Government and Board of Education); and two separate  
budget votes. However, she stated that they have to work within the system they  
currently have in place.  
Councilor Buhle addressed the Board of Education’s Budget noting that she strongly  
felt that they put in a lot of work to prepare the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026  
Budget because it included programs that Ledyard needed to remain competitive with  
other school districts. She stated that she wanted Ledyad to have a great school  
system that people want to live in this town for. She also noted that she understood  
the concerns that they had to balance those costs with their revenues, and the question  
as to whether Ledyard was still an affordable town to live in. However, she stated that  
if she was going to arguably pay the highest taxes in the area, then she should have  
really great schools that were competitive; or better than other schools in the area.  
She stated the minimal amount of savings in her tax bill was not worth the potential  
sacrifices that the students would make. She stated the 0.98% reduction to the Board  
of Education 5.98% increase that Councilor Ryan proposed at the Town Council’s  
April 9, 2025 would amount to $5 bucks a month in her tax bill noting that she  
realized that she was in a privileged position to be able to handle the additional tax  
increase. She stated that it was her personal opinion that the proposed Fiscal Year  
2025//2026 Budget represented all of the town’s needs.  
Councilor Buhle continued to state that Ledyard does not have a spending problem  
they have a revenue problem. Therefore, she stated that the town continues to seek  
alternate funding through grants and other sources, which included their efforts to  
seek business development. She stated by increasing the town’s business tax revenues  
that it would help to lower the residential tax burden and would allow them to move  
forward with the items on the Board of Education’s Green List.  
Councilor Ryan stated that he agreed with Councilor Buhle on the following:  
(1) Ledyard had an income problem. Councilor Ryan stated they would benefit tremendously  
from an increase in industrial and commercial development taxation, noting that a lot  
of their neighbors benefit from their commercial and industrial tax base.  
(2) The Geneal Government proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget had no fat.  
(3) Town Council has to work within the current structure they have in place. Councilor  
Ryan stated this was the reason he thought the Finance Committee did not challenge  
the Board of Education’s Budget enough.  
Councilor Ryan continued by addressing revenues noting the following:  
· Revaluation 2025 - Councilor Ryan stated that currently the 2025 Revaluation was  
underway, however, he stated that the updated property values would not make a  
difference in the Grand List until the Fiscal Year 2026/2027 Budget. He stated that  
the Grand List being used for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget was based on the  
assessed value of property from the 2020 Revaluation. Therefore, he stated that most  
of the assessments that make up the current Grand List do not reflect the today’s  
actual values, noting that the assessed value on the average home in Ledyard was  
probably close to $210,000. Therefore, he stated when the 2025 Revaluation becomes  
effective, that ideally property values would go up and the mill rate would drop.  
However, he with the Revaluation that the middle to lower income households’  
property assessments would increase by $200,000 - $300,000. Therefore, he  
expressed concern that it would have a disproportionate impact on those who could  
least afford a tax increase, noting that the budget never goes down.  
· Loss of Property Tax Revenue - Councilor Ryan noted the following:  
ü Grand List - Councilor Ryan stated the 2024 total net Grand List in the amount of  
$1,311,231,566 saw a 0.51% decrease or a $6,699,094 loss in assessed value.  
ü Motor Vehicle Tax Cap and new Modified Motor Vehicle Deprecation Schedule will  
reduce personal property tax revenues.  
ü New Veterans Property Tax Exemption- Councilor Ryan stated that the Tax Assessor  
has projected that new law could result in a loss in a $520,000 reduction in tax  
revenues.  
ü Proposed Legislation that would eliminate the Town’s ability to collect personal  
property tax from the third-party private vendors operating at the Mashantucket  
Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino. Councilor Rayn stated should this piece of  
legislation pass that Ledyard Residents were going to have a $625,0000 - $825,000  
hole in their budget that they would need to fill.  
Chairman Rodriguez stated that she and the Mayor met with the Mashantucket  
Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) Chairman Rodney Butler and Tribal Councilwoman  
Crystal Whipple last week; and that she hoped those conversations would continue.  
Mayor Allyn, III, stated during their meeting with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal  
Nation (MPTN) Chairman Rodney Butler and Tribal Councilwoman Crystal Whipple  
that the subject of taxation was not discussed.  
Mayor Allyn continued by addressing the 2025 Revaluation and he stated that  
property values for commercial and industrial properties were not seeing an increase,  
noting that they were either flat or seeing a decrease which would mean that a greater  
share of the taxes would be placed on homeowners. He noted Councilor Buhle’s  
comment that reducing the Board of Education’s proposed 5.98% budget increase by  
0.98% would only be a difference of $5 a month. Mayor Allyn stated that he wanted  
to provide clarification, stating that based on the 2.76 mil increase that his tax bill  
would increase by $600. Councilor Buhle stated the point she was trying to make was  
that the difference between the budget number the Town Council moved forward  
versus the budget number Councilor Ryan was proposing would have only made a  
difference of $5.00 per month in her tax bill. She apologized stating that she  
understood Mayor Allyn’s comments, and she stated that her total tax bill would  
increase by about $500.  
Councilor Ryan stated with all of the revenue issues mentioned this evening that the  
2025/2026 budget was going to be a challenging year. Therefore, he stated that  
perhaps everybody needed to make some sacrifice, noting that it was his opinion that  
the optics look bad, but they would see what happens at the Referendum. He stated  
the in addition to next year’s budget that Finance Committee also needed to consider  
how it would impact the town in the future.  
Councilor Saccone noted he had a conversation with State Senator Cathy Osten and  
that she was pushing for the State of Connecticut to pay Ledyard dollar for dollar for  
tax revenues lost though the proposed Legislation that would eliminate the Town’s  
ability to collect personal property tax from the third-party private vendors operating  
at the Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino. Mayor Allyn stated initially  
the amount the State was going to pay was much lower. However, he stated that this  
would be like the Pequot Funding that the State never fully funds. He stated this was  
a concern because the State Legislators can only commit funding for the next  
two-budget cycles, noting that there would be different players involved 2, 3, 4-years  
down the road, and they may question why this town in particular, or that town in  
particular, was receiving a little more money from the Pequot Fund; and because  
they do not know they would cut the funding to those particular towns. He stated  
then Ledyard would have to go back, as they have done in the past to try to receive  
the funding that was promised to them. He stated that previously Ledyard was  
receiving $791,000; and after he went back to Hartford to beg and plead with them,  
that Ledyard was now receiving $1,391,000.  
Councilor Buhle requested clarification as to which Funding Program the Mayor was  
talking about. Mayor Allyn stated he was talking about Pequot Fund. He explained as  
a Host Community that Ledyard should receive more funding than non-host  
communities because of the impact the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN)  
Reservation and Casino/Resort. He noted some of the impacts were positive, and  
some impacts were possibly not. Therefore, he stated when the Pequot Fund was  
implemented that the thought was that Ledyard deserved a greater share, and he  
stated that the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) has also been vocal in  
agreeing that Ledyard should receive more Pequot Funding than other towns in the  
state. However, he stated the funding from the State was only as good as the biennial  
budget cycle, and after that all bets were off.  
Councilor Buhle addressed the States’s upcoming biennial budget cycle relative to  
the PILOT Funding (Payment In Lieu of Taxes). She questioned whether the 2025  
Revaluation would: (1) apply to properties that were covered in in the PILOT  
Program; (2) whether the PILOT property values would increase; and (3) whether  
Ledyard was expecting to receive an increase in the PILOT Funding. Mayor Allyn  
stated this was a difficult question to answer because of some of the properties  
covered in under the PILOT Program were reservation properties; therefore, he stated  
that some property values would increase with the 2025 Revaluation; however, other  
properties may or may not. He stated if Ledyard received their full PILOT Payment  
that they were owed; it would actually reduce their taxes by about 1.4 mils a year.  
However, he stated the PILOT Funding that Ledyard was receiving was not anywhere  
near what it was supposed to be; and he noted that this was not only the case for  
Ledyard but that it was happening across the State. He noted the State had 1,400+  
unfunded mandates; and that the PILOT Program was just one program that was only  
partially funded. Therefore, he stated for these reasons he had skepticism with the  
dollar-for-dollar plan that Senator Osten told Councilor Saccone with regard to the  
proposed Legislation that would eliminate Ledyard’s ability to collect personal  
property tax from the third-party private vendors such as the Tanger Outlet, Dunkin  
Donuts, California Kitchen Pizza, and other vendors (businesses) operating at the  
Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino. He explained because those dollars  
would be coming from the State and not from the Vendors that were operating at the  
Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort Casino that at any time the State could make  
changes, noting that State Funded Programs were never guaranteed. Therefore, he  
stated that it did not make any sense stating that it was just a shell game the State of  
Connecticut was playing and that Ledyard would eventually be on the losing end.  
Councilor Barnes ask the Finance Committee for the opportunity to make a comment  
this evening. He thanked the Finance Committee for the work they have done to  
prepare the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget. He stated although he thought  
for the upcoming budget year they may be in the best the position they could be in;  
and that it would be up to the voters of community to decide; but that he was also  
troubled. He questioned how they would proceed if the community does not support  
the proposed Fisal Year 2025/2026 Budget.  
Councilor Barnes continued by noting that “Advisory Questions” would be included  
on the Budget Referendum. He stated while the Advisory Questions were not popular  
with everybody, that he thought that they would provide important feedback. He  
stated although he was not an expert on the Town Charter that in reading pages 30 &  
31 that it talks about the voting process, noting that the Town Charter afforded the  
Town Council the latitude to present the budget in a way that they see fit. He went  
on to note as written that he believed that the Town Council had the ability to  
bifurcate the budget and to ask voters “Do they approve the Board of Education  
Budget and Do they approve the General Government Budget”; as Mayor Allyn, III,  
has expressed an interest in doing. Councilor Barnes went on to state that regardless  
of what the Budget Referendum outcome was, there would be several possibilities  
such as the voters could: (1) approve both budgets, (2) not approve both budgets; (3)  
approve one budget; and (4) not the other budget. He stated whatever the outcome  
that it would enable the Town Council to  
know exactly where to take action, if a vote comes back “No”. He stated based on the  
current practice of submitting one budget question to the voters that if the vote comes  
back “No”; that with the Advisory Questions that the Town Council could begin to  
interpret the responses to the question as some indication of where to act. However,  
he stated that based on what he read in the Town Charter that the Town Council had  
the opportunity to present the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget Referendum in a way  
that would provide the voters the ability to vote on the individual aspects of the  
proposed budget. He concluded his comments by stating that he was not an expert on  
the Town Charter, and so he would leave these options for the Finance Committee to  
think about and to decide; stating that it would make clear what the voters think  
about the two components of the budget.  
Councilor Ryan stated that he believed that they could ask the “Advisory Questions”  
that the Town Council acknowledged at their April 9, 2025 meeting. However, he  
stated in the current construct they present a Town-Wide Budget comprised of the  
two budgets.  
Councilor Barnes noted Chapter VII, Section 5; page 31 stated:  
“Town Clerk shall cause to be published in a newspaper having circulation  
in the Town, a summary of the proposed budget showing anticipated  
revenues by major sources, and proposed expenditures by functions or  
departments in the format prescribed by the Town Council for budget  
estimates, and shall also show the estimated amount to be raised by taxation  
as well as the estimated mil rate necessary to meet the amount to be raised  
by taxation…..”  
Councilor Barnes stated that currently the Town Council presents the proposed  
Budget to the town. However, he stated the Town Charter makes no specific  
indication of how the vote is expected to be implemented. He stated that the Town  
Charter does not say it must be one line, noting that it says the Town Council had the  
authority vested in the Charter today. He stated that he would acknowledge that  
presenting two budget questions on the referendum would be different from their  
current convention. However, he stated that he would ask the Finance Committee to  
think about whether this was something the town could do, given the current  
construct of the polices the town had in place. He asked Mayor Allyn for his  
thoughts.  
Mayor Allyn addressed the format of the General Government proposed budget  
noting that excel spreadsheets were used which included the following data: (1) three  
years of past budget history, (2) current year budget; (3) current year to date  
expenditures, (4) proposed budget; (5) budget change (increase or decrease) both in  
dollars and percentage. He stated the Government Government’s proposed budget  
was presented in a format that was vastly different from the Board of Education’s  
proposed Budget format presentation, which was typically printouts from the Munis  
Financial System, noting that some may find Munis Printouts fantastic, where others  
might not.  
Mayor Allyn continued to respond to Councilor Barnes’ comments regarding the  
budget format, and he explained that the Town Council could ask the Board of  
Education to prepare their proposed budget in the same format as the General  
Government, because the Town Charter does say that the Town Council prescribes  
the budget format. He stated if the Board of Education used a similar format to  
provide following data: (1) three years of past budget history, (2) current year budget;  
(3) current year to date expenditures, (4) proposed budget; (5) budget change  
(increase or decrease) both in dollars and percentage; that he thought it would be  
clearer than the Munis printouts they currently provide. He stated that printouts from  
the Munis Financial System were not user friendly, explaining that Munis was a  
Governmental and Education Financial System that was designed for the power user,  
noting that everyone was not a Munis power user, nor should they have to be to look  
at the budget and understand it. However, he stated that he believed Councilor  
Barnes’ question was more about the actual Budget Referendum Question.  
Councilor Barnes stated that he did not see anything in the Town Charter that would  
bar the Town Council from passing forward to the townspeople two individual  
budget questions to vote on. He stated that he believed that it was within the Town  
Council’s purview to specify how the budget would be presented at the Referendum.  
He noted that Chapter 7; Section 1 of the Town Charter stated:  
“The Board of Education shall annually prepare a budget submission to  
include the information required by the Town Council. The Board of  
Education budget will be submitted via the Mayor so that the budget  
document submitted to the Town Council represents the total fiscal  
requirements of the Town….”  
Councilor Barnes stated that based on this language the General Government  
Budget and the Board of Education Budget have to be presented to the Town  
Council together. However, he stated that it does not mean that the Town Council  
had to present the budgets to the town that way. He noted that the point he was  
trying to make was in his reading of the Town Charter that the Town Council had  
the latitude to collect the vote on the budget in a way that they would see fit.  
However, he stated that perhaps they should obtain a legal opinion.  
Councilor Buhle stated that personally she really liked the Advisory Questions as an  
addition to the Budget Referendum Question. She noted as an example that she  
believed that the Cannabis Dispensary was an Advisory Question, and she asked that  
she be corrected if she was wrong. She stated while the Cannabis Dispensary was  
approved that Ledyard does not have a Cannabis Dispensary in town. Therefore, she  
stated that she thought the Budget Advisory Questions were important because for  
years they have questioned what if the budget failed. She stated with the Advisory  
Questions that if the Budget failed they would know that it was because the  
townspeople wanted more investment in the schools and/or it was because people  
wanted the general government budget cut. Therefore, she stated that she thought the  
Advisory Questions would be very helpful, noting that they would also answer what  
Councilor Barnes was looking for.  
Councilor Buhle went on to state that voting “Yes or No” for the budget, and not  
filling out the Advisory Questions was still valid, noting that it would give them a  
little more opportunity without having to go through contacting the Town Attorney  
and Bifurcating the Budgets. She stated that she was not disagreeing with Bifurcating  
the Budget. However, she stated they were 28 days out from the Budget Referendum,  
and that they should never let a good crisis go to waste, noting that this sounded like  
a manufactured crisis because we have never had Budget Advisory Questions before,  
at least in her experience.  
Administrative Assistant Roxanne Maher addressed Councilor Buhle’s comment  
regarding the town never having Budget Advisory Questions before, and she stated  
the Town has from time to time included Advisory Questions on the Budget  
Referendum for many years. She explained the purpose of tonight’s Special Finance  
Committee meeting was to review the residents comments regarding the proposed  
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget that were received at the April 21, 2025 Public  
Hearing and to consider making additional budget adjustments; and to forward a  
proposed budget to the Town Council for their review and consideration. She  
explained that discussions regarding the budget format and bifurcating the budget  
should have been addressed much earlier in the budget preparation process. She  
stated that the Town Council would need to vote on a final proposed Fiscal Year  
2025/2026 Budget at their meeting later tonight noting that in accordance with the  
Town Charter the proposed Budget must be filed in the Town Clerk’s Office on the  
first Monday in May, which was May 5, 2025. She noted the work involved once the  
Town Council approved a budget to forward to townspeople that included preparing  
the budget booklet, legal notices for the newspaper and town webpage, etc.  
MOTION to recommend the Town Council adopt a proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget  
in the amount of $71,062,240 comprised of:  
· General Government: $30,394,998_  
· Board of Education: $_40,667,242_  
Moved by Councilor Buhle seconded by Councilor Saccone  
Discussion: Councilor Ryan noted as has stated a few times during their budget  
deliberations, that he does not agree with the current overall budget, specifically with  
the Board of Education’s proposed Budget increase. He stated that he thought the  
Finance Committee should have challenged the Board of Education’s budget more;  
and therefore, he would be voting “No” because he would like to see the Boad of  
Education’s budget increase be lower.  
It was noted that the proposed budget would be forwarded to the Town Council for  
their consideration. Based on the Town Council’s action at their April 23, 2025  
meeting the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget would be presented to the  
townspeople at the May 19, 2025 Annual Town Meeting, that would adjourn to a  
Referendum Vote on May 20, 2025.  
VOTE: 2 - 1 Approved and so declared (Ryan not in favor)  
RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL  
Jessica Buhle  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
Tony Saccone  
SECONDER:  
2
1
Saccone and Buhle  
Ryan  
AYE:  
NAY:  
IV  
ADJOURNMENT  
Councilor Buhle moved the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Councilor Ryan  
VOTE: 3 - 0 Approved and so declared, the meeting was adjourned at 6:47 p.m.  
DISCLAIMER: Although we try to be timely and accurate these are not official records of the  
Town.