KENT, Conn.—After two false starts, the annual budget hearing and the town meeting have formally been scheduled for Thursday, May 15, and Friday, May 30, respectively.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Friday, May 2, but the legal notice was not published in time in a print edition of a newspaper. It was then moved to Friday, May 9, but, again, problems with publication of the notice intervened.
Because the Board of Finance will not have a quorum on Friday, May 16—the preferred day so weekend residents can attend—the hearing had to be scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m. The town meeting will be held May 30.Â
The finance board confirmed those dates in a special meeting Wednesday, May 7.
The final version of the draft budget was posted online May 7.
It totals $16,454,702, an increase of $755,457 or 4.81 percent. The figure includes education expenses at Kent Center School, the Region 1 School District, municipal spending and the capital plan.
The Board of Finance reduced the original amounts proposed by the boards of selectmen and education by a total of $55,000 and pushed $75,000 in spending for Swift House back one year. The undesignated surplus fund will be tapped for $100,000 to reduce taxes.
