Somers Voters Say 'Yes' to the Budget

On Tuesday, the Somers voters passed the proposed budget 360-240. There are 6,058 registered voters in Somers so the voter turnout was 9.8 percent.

The overall proposed town budget is for $29,241,201, which is a $986,679 – or 3.49 percent – increase.

The town portion of the budget is $6,742,645, a $323,823 increase. This represents 5.04 percent.

Infrastructure was of big importance in the budget, with money being put towards maintenance of buildings and roads.

On the education side, the proposed budget is $19,827,174. This is a $492,857 – 2.55 percent – increase.

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Technology is a huge part of the education budget, with plans for iPads, interactive white boards, digital text books, and more.

The Board of Finance approved the 1 mil increase, bringing the rate to 23.12, which is one of the lowest in the area.

Lisa Pellegrini has said that she feels that the budget is proactive, rather than reactive, and meets the needs of the town without being extreme.

She was pleased that the budget passed, saying that she is “relieved that we can go forward now.”

Pellegrini said that she hadn’t heard much about the budget from the residents, and what she did hear was supportive.

“It was so quiet,” she said. “It was all support. It was just so calm.”

Town Chief Financial Officer Kim Marcotte said that she thinks there would have been more voters if there had been more contention on the budget, but was glad that people did come out to vote.

“There were 240 people who didn’t want it to go through, so it’s good we did have people who turned out to vote and didn’t just say, ‘Oh it will pass,’” she said.