BOF cuts $456k after voters shoot down budget
- 30 minutes ago
- 3 min read
After the budget failed to pass at referendum (1,026 to 579) the Board of Finance (BOF) took up the task of deciding what the next steps were. The “unfortunate reality,” as BOF Steve Geryk put it, is that taxes are going up as a result of last year’s revaluation and there’s nothing the Board of Finance can do about it. More on that later.
After much deliberation over what to do next, the Board ultimately voted to approve a motion by Tony Pellegrino to reduce the budget by $456,430. Shelly Hurchala-West, Rob Proulx, Pellegrino, and Geryk all voted for the motion, while Dave Walsh and Harold Blake Hatch were opposed.
Why such an oddly specific number? Combine it with the $543,570 of additional funding allocated to Stafford in the State budget—which will be billed as revenue—and you get $1 million. While the budget number the people see at the next referendum will only be reduced by $456,430, the actual impact will be $1 million less being collected through taxes.
If this version of the budget were to pass, the Mill Rate would be 25.66.
The Town and the school district will each have to cut $227,215 from their budget requests, while the library will have to cut $2,000 from its budget. We’ll find out exactly where those cuts will come from at the next Board of Finance meeting, which will be scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education will meet before that to discuss their cuts.
Why your taxes probably won’t go down
The budget presented at referendum on May 5, 2026, already represented a reduction in the amount being raised from taxes since last year. The problem is that the tax burden has shifted to lay more heavily on residential property owners after the revaluation.
Residential properties increased their values much more than industrial and commercial properties did. As such, they make up a bigger proportion of the Grand List than they did last year. Geryk said that last year, residential properties made up 66% of the Grand List. This year, they represent 75% of that now much larger Grant List.
Using the Town’s tax calculator, Stafford Free Press ran the numbers on one of the largest businesses in town, Solventum, located at 32 River Road. Even though its assessed value went from $2,163,630 in 2024 to $3,192,840 in 2025, its taxes will go down by $416.78. Why? Simply put, as a percentage of its value, its assessment did not go up as much as many homes did.
The Solventum property's assessment increased by about 47.6%. In contrast, the assessment of this reporter’s small house increased by about 73%. Geryk told me he thinks that if your property increased by about 50% that is the breakeven point. You won’t see a change in your taxes at the new Mill Rate. Fall below that and your taxes go down (just like they did at 32 River Road). Fall above it and you will see your taxes go up.
Commercial and industrial properties now represent a smaller piece of the proverbial pie that is the Grand List. Even if the budget remains flat or went down, most residential property owners would still see an increase in their taxes. So, while reducing the budget may have big impacts on the services and programs in the schools and around Town, it probably won’t do much to reduce your property tax bill.
