The West Hartford Town Council Tuesday formally received a combined town/school budget for 2025-26 that could cost taxpayers significantly.
Patch Staff
WEST HARTFORD, CT — The first major action of West Hartford's 2025-26 budget season took place Tuesday with the unveiling of town/school spending plans that could cause taxes to skyrocket.
West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith presented the spending package to the West Hartford Town Council, which will now deliberate spending plans for next fiscal year before a formal vote on the budget in May.
In West Hartford, the council is the legislative body responsible for finalizing town/school budgets, with the West Hartford Board of Education sending a budget to the town for review.
According to Ledwith's presentation Tuesday, the cost of operating both town services and schools has gone up and that could up tax bills by 6.75 percent.
Among the budget figures are:
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• A total, combined town/school spending plan for 2025-26 of $370.29 million, which is a 6.5 percent increase over the current fiscal year.
That budget has three components: town; schools; and capital financing (for single items like equipment purchases and building projects/renovations).
• Town spending is proposed at $137.96 million — or a 5.7 percent increase.
• West Hartford Board of Education spending, which represents the largest chunk of the town budget, is proposed at $215.223 million — a 7.2 percent increase.
Much of the increase are due to across-the-board hikes in the cost of operating the town/schools, from insurance costs, staff salary increases mandated by contracts, and other initiatives.
According to Ledwith's budget report, the preliminary budgets could come at a steep cost to taxpayers.
The proposed budget would require a real estate/personal property mill rate (the rate paid in taxes) of 45.21 mills — an increase of 2.86 mills.
What this means is if your home is assessed at, say, $250,000 with this budget, taxes for this year would go up by a whopping $715 in addition to what your tax bill was a year ago.
Motor vehicle taxes, per a state mandate, are capped at 32.46 mills, according to Ledwith's report.
Ledwith said the spending plan is "one that recognizes the challenges we face as a community, while reaffirming our commitment to providing the highest level of services for our residents."
"This budget reflects our theme this year, which is 'navigating challenges with strength and purpose,'" Ledwith said.
"This budget helps us strengthen our community by investing in services for a resilient future."
While the proposed tax hikes may cause sticker shock, they do not represent the final tally and the spending/tax package will not be decided until May.
Tuesday night, the council voted 9-0 to schedule public hearings on the budgets for April 1 at 2 p.m. and April 8 at 6 p.m.
Both hearings will be at West Hartford Town Hall, 50 S. Main St., West Hartford.
Following public input on the budgets, the full council will conduct a series of budget meetings and deliberations before a final budget is decided by the council in May.
It means that the tax increase could be reduced or, if deemed necessary, increased.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor thanked all the town employees and department heads who put together the preliminary budget.
Now, she said, the council has some work to do.
"It is challenging. This is a unique. This is higher than we've seen in the past for reasons, many of which are not in the town's control," Cantor said.
"It's so easy to say 'it's too much.' Because it is. It is," Cantor said. "Our property taxes in Connecticut are too high and West Hartford's property taxes are high.
"But we are who we are because of the investments we have made over the years in West Hartford."
For the minutes of the March 11 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.
For West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith's preliminary 2025-26 town budget, click on this link.
For the West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus' preliminary 2025-26 education budget, click on this link.