Enfield Town Council Approves 2026-27 Budget, Increases Taxes

ENFIELD, CT — The Enfield Town Council voted this week to adopt the town’s 2026-27 budget after lengthy debate over school funding, staffing levels, infrastructure needs and the impact of tax increases on residents.

Council members approved the budget as amended in a 7-4 vote during a special meeting at Enfield Town Hall.

Councilors Carol Hall, Marie Pyznar, Lori Unghire and Zach Zannoni voted against the final budget resolution.

The council also approved setting the real estate and business personal property tax rate at 33.11 mills for the upcoming fiscal year. Motor vehicle taxes were set at 29.21 mills.

The current mill rate is 31.5, meaning the new tax rate is 1.61 mills larger.

For a home assessed at $250,000 in Enfield, the new tax rate translates into an extra $ 402.50 being paid to the town compared to last year.

Going into Monday's special council meeting, Enfield's combined town/school proposed budget stood at $168,219,342, with the town portion at $84,641,230 and the school budget $83,578,112.

Utilizing those figures, Enfield council members went to work cutting and adding funding to various budget components prior to their votes on Monday night.

Budget debate

Much of the meeting focused on balancing increased spending requests with concerns about affordability for residents.

Councilor Zach Zannoni said the town had made “shortsighted budget decisions” over the past decade in efforts to keep taxes low, resulting in understaffing, deteriorating infrastructure and teacher shortages.

Zannoni said he supported increased funding for education and maintaining existing town positions but opposed adding new staffing positions because of future financial pressures, including an upcoming property revaluation.

He said he supported a 1.14-mill increase that would fully fund the Enfield Board of Education's request while avoiding additional departmental expansion.

Zannoni said he believed they could not continue to underfund the schools or cut funding for critical infrastructure

Despite praising the work put into the budget, Zannoni ultimately voted against it, saying he wanted to prioritize affordability for working-class residents and seniors.

Councilor Lori Unghire said council members worked hard to develop a budget that was “feasible and practical” for both the town and school system.

Councilor Marie Pyznar opposed the final proposal, arguing that additional areas should have been reviewed further.

Pyznar questioned plans to replace vehicles at a cost of about $2.5 million and suggested the board of education should use reserve funds to replenish parts of its budget.

Councilor Maya Matthews defended adding new town positions, saying Enfield needed additional staffing to keep pace with commercial growth and reduce the tax burden on residents over time.

She said the budget created “the perfect building blocks” for Enfield Town Manager Matthew Coppler’s long-term plans.

Councilor Cynthia Mangini, the council’s longest-serving member, said years of underfunding had left departments understaffed and infrastructure in poor condition.

“It was their job to make sure people are safe and healthy while improving their quality of life,” she said.

Deputy Mayor John Santanella said the council intentionally approached the budget as a long-term recovery effort for the town.

“He said that Enfield is in a big hole due to not taking care of the community,” Santanella said.

Enfield Mayor Gina Cekala acknowledged residents’ concerns about taxes but said the town could not continue operating with little or no budget growth while maintaining services and infrastructure.

“This budget helps reverse years of underfunding and under-delivering,” Cekala said.

Several changes approved

During the meeting, council members approved 10 amendments proposed by town officials before rejecting a series of additional amendments offered by Hall, Pyznar and Unghire that would have reduced spending in several departments, including public works, custodial staffing, library transfers and school funding.

One rejected amendment would have reduced the school budget from about $83.6 million to $81.4 million.

Debate over education funding also centered on state grants and reserve funds.

Hall argued the board of education, not the town council, determines how appropriated school funds are spent.

Pyznar said she supported the district’s school modernization plan, but believed reserve funds should be used differently.

Zannoni warned against using one-time revenue sources to cover recurring operating expenses, saying it would create future budget problems.

The council also approved a capital improvement resolution and appropriated $440,831 in Local Capital Improvement Program grant funding for paving projects.

For the minutes of the May 11 Enfield Town Council meeting, click on this link.

To watch the May 11 Enfield Town Council meeting, click on this link.

For the latest Enfield budget information, click on this link.