Stratford Budget Approved By Town Council For 2026-27: Here’s What To Know

STRATFORD, CT — As part of its approved budget for fiscal year 2026-27, the Stratford Town Council also adopted a three-year phase-in of the reassessment in an effort to lessen the immediate tax burden facing property owners, according to officials.

The council this week approved a $277.69 million operating budget by a 7-3 vote, which was along party lines with the Democratic majority voting in favor and three Republicans against.

The town’s mill rate has also been lowered from 40.20 to 37.73 mills, but residents are still facing tax increases following the state-mandated revaluation in which some residential property values increased by as much as 80 percent.

The 33-percent reassessment phase-in “aims to spread the property tax increase over a three-year period for homeowners whose property values increased following the revaluation,” according to Mayor David Chess.

“A phase-in does not change the total amount of reassessed property values,” Chess wrote in a newsletter to residents. “Instead, it affects how the burden is distributed – in this case, over a three-year period.”

In a statement following the adoption of the town budget, Stratford’s Democratic Town Councilors said the spending plan funds “core public services, education, and key community priorities.”

The councilors also said the adopted budget “addresses the financial pressures created by reassessment, rising local needs, federal uncertainty, and a significant budget shortfall identified during the Council’s review process.”

The final plan also “strengthens town reserves and expands relief efforts for residents impacted by reassessment,” according to the councilors.

“This was not an easy budget,” Council Chairman Anthony Afriyie said. “The Council was faced with a difficult set of realities, including reassessment pressure, federal uncertainty, rising local needs, and an unaddressed shortfall in the original proposal. We addressed those challenges directly and made the adjustments necessary to protect Stratford financial stability.”

Council Chair Pro Tempore Lisa Carroll Fabian said the adjustments “were not made casually.”

“Every decision came with difficult tradeoffs because we know much pressure many Stratford families are under,” she said. “The Council worked hard to provide relief where we could while still protecting essential services and making responsible decisions for Stratford’s future.”

During the budget process, the council “identified and addressed a budget gap that ultimately approached nearly $5 million due to a combination of accounting issues, lower than expected tax collection rates, and underfunded reserves inherited from a year prior,” according to the Democratic statement. “The Council determined that leaving that gap unresolved would have weakened the town’s fiscal position and created greater risk for taxpayers in future years.”

“When the Council began reviewing the budget, it became clear the financial challenges facing the town were greater than initially understood,” Councilor William Boyd said. “At the same time, reassessment added nearly $3 billion to the grand list, creating understandable concerns among families, seniors, and business owners about affordability. Every decision required balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to protect taxpayers from unnecessary hardship.”

The adopted budget “maintains support for key community institutions, including the Stratford Library, the South End Community Center, and the Board of Education,” according to the statement. “These investments reflect the Council’s commitment to preserving essential public services, supporting families and students, and strengthening the institutions that hold the community together.”

As part of the final budget package, the Democratic councilors said the proposed $2 million Capital Investment Fund will be “intended to reinforce our towns reserves in order to strengthen Stratford’s long-term fiscal position and help maintain reserve levels above the $20 million benchmark viewed favorably by credit rating agencies.”

Republican Councilman Carl Glad, who voted against the budget, said he was “disappointed that this year's budget does not do more for our taxpayers.”

“The Republican caucus proposed cutting $5,621,420 from the budget proposal,” Glad said. “These cuts eliminated new positions, additional and unnecessary contributions to employee benefits, the Capital Investment Fund, and increased overtime. None of the cuts came from existing programs or education. When combined with transfers to support the Library and YMCA and the additional funds from the State of Connecticut, the Republican proposal would have saved taxpayers $7,305,571. With those reductions we could have had a meaningful discussion about a reduced mill rate.

“I am hopeful that we can work with the Mayor's office to find ways to reduce spending so that next year's budget does not see yet another tax increase. Our current municipal spending is unsustainable and we need to do a better job listening to our residents.”

In an update on Facebook, Chess said that on Monday town officials also “learned that the State Legislature did NOT repeal the Homestead Act.”

“They added an option to allow towns to discount home valuations by $50,000,” Chess wrote. “With this legislative change, towns enacting the Homestead Act have the option to do one or the other: discount home valuations from 5% to 35% OR provide a flat $50,000 discount for eligible homeowners. Towns may not do both in the same year.

“In the coming month, I will be asking the Town Council to consider adopting the Homestead Act for next year. If implemented, this would have a dramatic impact on many people’s tax burden, lowering it by thousands of dollars in many cases. I know this budget and revaluation process has been stressful for many residents, and I believe we owe it to homeowners to continue exploring the Homestead Act option to see what’s possible.”

Read Chess’s full newsletter with the budget update here.