Suffield Budget Hearing Tonight

SUFFIELD, CT — Suffield residents are set to weigh in on a proposed $70.1 million town budget that would increase the mill rate heading into the next fiscal year.

Town officials scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Suffield Middle School to review the proposed 2026-27 budget and take questions from electors and taxpayers.

The spending plan totals $70,099,303, up $998,987, or about 1.4 percent, from the current year’s adopted budget. Under the proposal, the town would raise $49,047,085 from taxes and set the mill rate at 24.10, up from 23.41 this year.

Town budget documents say the mill rate increase is being driven largely by contractual wage and benefit increases on both the town and school sides, along with inflation-related costs such as utilities and higher school transportation expenses. Officials also said state and other outside payments are not keeping pace with inflation.

The Board of Education remains the biggest piece of the budget at $43,692,148, or about 62.3 percent of total spending. That is up $1,666,220, or 4 percent, from the current year.

General government spending is proposed at $19,509,306, up $720,122, or 3.8 percent. Debt service would rise sharply to $2,606,849, an increase of $536,674, or 25.9 percent, while capital spending would edge up to $3,791,000.

Among the larger capital items in the proposal are $1.2 million for pavement management, $300,000 for a police HVAC system, $265,000 for facility master plan implementation and $195,000 for Suffield High School auditorium stage and house lighting. The budget package also includes money for public safety equipment, vehicle replacements, building work and school technology.

Budget documents show the town is projecting $21,052,218 in revenue from sources other than current taxes, down about 4.1 percent from the current year. The proposal no longer includes the use of undesignated fund balance that appeared in the current budget, though it does include transfers from several other funds.

After the public hearing, the proposed budget is set to move to a town meeting on May 6 at 7 p.m. at Suffield Middle School, where it will be considered for approval.