Spending, Taxes Topic Of Canton Budget Hearing Next Week

CANTON, CT — The Canton Board of Finance will hold a public hearing Monday, April 27, at 6 p.m. to gather input on the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 town/school budget.

The hearing will take place in Room F at the Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave.

The proposal outlines spending plans for general government and the Canton Board of Education, alongside an estimated tax increase for residents.

General Government Budget

The proposed general government budget totals $2,446,673, representing a 34.69% increase — or $630,186 — over the current year.

Key changes include:

• A $700,000 appropriation to the town’s fund balance, up from $245,000.
• Elimination of $22,000 in capital and non-recurring expenses.
• Auditor costs rising 2.10% to $56,700.
• Debt service principal remaining level at $1.19 million.
• Debt service interest is decreasing 8.98% to $496,573.

Other line items, including part-time hourly wages and the budget mailer, remain unchanged.

Board of Education Budget

The proposed Canton Board of Education operating budget is $36,958,772, a 5.92% increase over the current fiscal year.

However, officials note that the figure excludes a state-mandated shift of $258,943 in Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) revenue from the school budget to the town budget.

When that shift is included, the reported increase rises to 6.67%, bringing the total proposed education budget to $37,217,715.

Budget documents attribute most of the increase to fixed costs:

• 3.15% for contractual salaries
• 1.04% for health and benefits
• 0.63% for special education

Officials emphasize that less than 1% of the increase reflects new or expanded programming, with the remainder tied to contractual and mandated obligations.

Tax Impact

The proposal would raise the town’s mill rate from 33.50 to 35.11, an increase of 1.61 mills.

For a median home assessed at $217,293, annual property taxes would rise from $7,279.32 to $7,629.04 — an increase of $349.72, or 4.81%.

Next Steps

The April 27 hearing will provide residents an opportunity to comment on the proposed budget before the Board of Finance finalizes its recommendations.

Voters will have the final step at the town budget referendum, which will take place on Thursday, May 14 or prior, at the Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave.

For more information on Canton's budget situation, click on this link.