26-03-2025
Putnam budget proposal would raises tax bills by 10%
Putnam — The Board of Finance unanimously voted Monday to advance a 2025-26 budget proposal that could raise taxes by more than 10% for the average homeowner, according to local officials.
The $33 million budget, which will be presented at a public hearing on Wednesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. at Putnam Middle School, adds an extra $200,000 to the Board of Education's original bare-bones school spending plan.
The proposed budget calls for a $1.17 million increase for the school system, $196,000 for general government and bond debt, $58,900 for the Putnam EMS Ambulance Service, $2,900 for the library, and $4,400 for the police department's school resource officer program.
Town Administrator Elaine Sistare said Tuesday that the new tax rate would be 17.9 mills — down 5.7 mills from the current year's rate of 23.6. However, town officials say homeowners will still see their taxes increase, due to the town's mandated property revaluation.
Sistare estimated that median residential property owners with two median-valued cars will see their tax bills increase by 12% next year.
If the budget passes, the town would need to raise an extra $646,000 in tax revenue. That figure would have been even higher, but the board decided Monday to recommend using $700,000 from the town's undesignated surplus fund and $550,000 in government bonding from the Capital High School Project to cover a portion of the town's expenditures.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Barney Seney warned residents that due to the revaluation, residential property taxes would go up no matter what we put in the surplus.
'We've done a great job financing the increases, and I think it's a fair budget. The schools get what they need, which I'm happy about,' Seney said at the end of the meeting.
If the proposed budget passes, school spending would total $22.1 million.
The Board of Education originally presented a $21.9 million budget. While the total represented a $976,000 boost — up 4.6% from the previous year — rising contractual obligations including health insurance, salaries, special education costs and energy expenses ate up the increase, requiring thousands of dollars of cuts throughout the district.
The proposal called for the elimination of all permanent substitute teachers, the loss of two paraeducators, and the reduction of a full-time school psychologist and speech and language pathologist to part-time. Other adjustments included keeping vacant coaching positions unfilled and reducing professional development, software, classroom furniture, instructional supplies, and maintenance budgets.
Board of Education Chairman James Purdon III told the Board of Finance on Monday that if the district received anything lower than the $21.9 million, the board 'would not know where we would be able to make the cuts.'
'We have cut, and cut, and cut,' Purdon said. 'We truly made every possible cut we could find.'
Given the district's financial challenges, Board of Finance Chairman Dave Coderre said he was inclined to add $200,000 to the school budget.
'We've done a lot of studying of the board of ed budget. We've heard from a lot of people,' Coderre said. 'In other years we listen with a critical ear, but I think if you look at their budget, they hit some tough times with special ed and insurance.'
At the end of the meeting, Superintendent Steven Rioux thanked the board for the additional funding.
'I just wanted to express my appreciation and gratitude for recognizing other needs of the school and some of the challenges that we're facing this year,' Rioux said. 'We will definitely use that funding very wisely and support the kids in the areas that need it the most.'
During his remarks, Rioux noted that Monday's vote was 'just step one of the hurdle.'
'We still have to pass this referendum,' Rioux said.
