Petitions successfully force referendum

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NAUGATUCK — The borough’s municipal and school budgets are heading to a public vote.

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses set the referendum on the budgets for July 7 at a special meeting Tuesday night. Voting will take place at the former train station, 195 Water St., from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The budgets were forced to a referendum through a petition effort.

The total proposed 2015-16 budget is $115.8 million. The spending plan is an increase of $2.8 million, or 2.5 percent, over the current budget. The proposed budget increases the mill rate from 44.27 mills to 45.99 mills. The mill rate is the amount of taxes payable on the assessed value of a property.

The proposed municipal budget is $53.8 million, an increase of $1.7 million, or 3.3 percent, over the current budget.

The proposed school budget is $62 million, an increase of $1.1 million, or 1.8 percent, over current education spending.

The municipal and school budgets will be voted on separately. Residents will be asked to vote yes; no, too high; or no, too low on both budgets. At least 15 percent of registered voters need to vote in the referendum for the results to count.

The budgets failed at two referendums last year. No petitions were started to force a third referendum. Only three referendums can be forced. If a budget fails three times at a referendum, the subsequent approved budget is adopted.