No Tax Increase Proposed In West Haven Mayor’s Budget For 2026-27

WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer presented her recommended budget and five-year capital plan for fiscal year 2026-27 with no tax increase during a special meeting of the City Council on Thursday night at City Hall.

The proposal, which calls for no tax increase, the first in many years for West Haven, emphasizes “strategic revenue enhancements, cost-saving measures and partnership with the Board of Education while continuing investments in critical quality-of-life aspects,” according to a news release.

“This budget represents a year of hard work, discipline and creative problem-solving,” Borer said. “The recent funding from the state for education will certainly assist in closing the education funding gap. However, it’s imperative we make critical and impactful changes locally by seeking revenue enhancements and aggressive cost-saving measures to offset significant economic challenges.

“I’m proud that we have done this and are presenting our taxpayers with a fiscally responsible budget that at the same time allows our city to continue to move forward in a positive direction.”

Read more from the news release below:

The budget addresses the unprecedented challenges faced by the Board of Education, which dealt with rising special education and transportation costs.

Borer confirmed that through a collaborative effort with education leadership, they landed on a budget that continues to provide the quality education the 5,800 students deserve — without closing schools or cutting teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses or supportive staff.

Reflecting on the impact of back-to-back historic winter storms, Borer detailed steps to mitigate future weather impacts by investing in a new anti-icing program, GPS tools, the procurement of new equipment to improve efficiency, and a locked-in negotiated rate for gasoline and diesel fuel.

Additional mitigation of rising energy costs, the city wisely locked in a negotiated electricity rate from 15 kilowatts to 10 kilowatts, well below the regional average of 12 kilowatts.

An additional challenge facing most municipalities is that American Rescue Plan Act funds by federal law need to be spent by December 2026, which will negatively impact investment income. Borer noted that her administration proactively canceled noncritical capital projects to offset the reduction and redirected the funds to pay down debt, effectively lowering future debt service obligations.

To protect the bottom line, the city implemented several new revenue-generating initiatives:

A yearlong audit of fixed assets led to the public auction of nonperforming equipment and underutilized property.

An initiative launched last year to identify out-of-state license plates belonging to West Haven residents is now coming to fruition. By pairing the program with increased enforcement on delinquent motor vehicle taxes, the city has improved its collection rate and identified $800,000 in revenue.

It is anticipated that a firm the city hired to perform personal property audits and review corporate tax appeals has yielded favorable financial results.

For the first time in more than 15 years, the city increased fines and fees for ordinance violations to ensure West Haven remains safe and clean.

Borer said the five-year capital plan continues “unprecedented investments” in roads, sewers, parks, beaches, youth and senior programs, public safety resources, the library, and quality of life.

The budget includes the elimination and consolidation of positions, with 90% of them being through attrition stemming from retirements.

Borer concluded by thanking her team for their tireless work and thanking residents for their ideas, patience and commitment to West Haven’s progress.