After ordering last-minute cuts to both the municipal and education budget proposals during a special meeting on April 14, the Board of Finance voted to send both to a public hearing.
On May 1, residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on both fiscal year 2027 proposals, which together amount to a mill rate of 17.45, a 0.58 or 3.44% increase from last year. The mill rate is the amount of tax paid per $1,000 of assessed property value.
To help balance the budget, the board also voted to use $250,000 from the town’s unassigned general fund — essentially savings not set aside for a specific purpose.
The Five Year Capital Plan, which was edited extensively during Tuesday’s meeting, will also be subjected to public scrutiny at the May hearing.
Hopes were high at the meeting’s outset to flatline the mill rate from last year, but Treasurer Barbara Herbst’s announcement that that would require a nearly $900,000 reduction caused the BOF to shift its approach.
Ultimately, the Board of Education was asked to pull $30,000 from its bottom line before the May 1 hearing. Currently, it sits at $5,337,470, a 2.69% increase from fiscal year 2026. Along with $2,808,970 allocated towards Kent’s Region One contribution, total education expenditures, before the reduction, total $8,146,440.
The municipal operating budget is proposed at $5,277,965, a 5.08% increase over the current fiscal year.
The only line item changed by the BOF during Tuesday’s meeting was to the town’s contribution towards an aquatic invasive species management plan for Lake Waramaug. The funds are dedicated toward a proposed boat screening facility at the lake that would monitor for hydrilla, a particularly aggressive invasive waterweed.
Board members have previously questioned Kent’s share of the cost, noting that only a small portion of the lake lies within the town. For instance, only three houses and the storefront state park are within town lines.
Originally planned as a 20-40-40 split of a $100,000 project cost among Washington, Warren and Kent, First Selectman Eric Epstein said Tuesday that updated staffing estimates have reduced Kent’s share to $13,000, plus $3,000 in regular annual lake expenses.
BOF members were still unsatisfied with what member Casey Cogut described as a “half-baked plan” that is unfair to Kent taxpayers.
Ultimately, the Board voted to reduce the line to a total of $7,500 from the $16,000 previously allocated. Since $3,000 are dedicated towards other costs related to the lake, only $4,000 remain for the hydrilla prevention project. Washington has proposed $26,000 towards the effort, which Warren is meant to match.
There may be fallout from the decision, Epstein said: “It’s going to strain our relationship with the other two towns, I believe.”
Most of the BOF’s focus during Tuesday’s meeting was directed towards the Five Year Capital Plan.
Portions of funds for several projects that were meant to become taxable this year were pushed back over the line. The Swift House, a long-unused town-owned historic building that has had capital suspended in limbo for years, saw its funding moved back a year due to no clear plan forward for the building. A special town committee that was established in February to outline options for the building is expecting a report before the budget vote in May.
Capital intended to support the installation of amenities at Emery Park, including restrooms, was also moved out of tax position on the plan. The park is planned for a major overhaul in the coming years, but several proposals for the site, such as the rehabilitation of the town swimming pond, have seen recent delays.
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on May 1 at Town Hall.
Provided
This Veterans Day, say more than “thank you”
Tim Morris
I grew up next door to a great American, the late Captain Thomas E. Zibrofski of Melrose, Massachusetts. Although Tom was a proud U.S. Marine who piloted a UH-34D helicopter in over 200 Vietnam War combat missions, I knew him primarily for his other roles: generous backyard pool owner, family friend, car-lover.
It was because of this relationship that when I reached adolescence and became curious about Tom’s military service, I did not hesitate to ask him. My thirteen-year-old self spent one memorable afternoon with Tom looking at old slide-projector photographs and listening to his stories. As the projector fan whirred in the background, I remember laughing as Tom shared stories that I could picture. He explained how one of his peers brought a bowling ball to basic training (assuming incorrectly they would have time to go bowling) and was made to carry it around everywhere by the drill instructors. He told me about the competitiveness between Marine Corps and Air Force pilots at Da Nang Air Base, and about the South Vietnamese soldiers who would ride in his helicopter carrying “three-times” their body weight in equipment.
To be sure, Tom spared me from the worst of what he experienced. He did not tell me about the day he was wounded extracting a reconnaissance patrol from a hot landing zone (the same wound that left his voice in a hoarse whisper for the rest of his life).Still, I will never forget the generosity Tom showed me that day. By answering my questions Tom made me feel valued –– like he truly wanted me to understand his military service.
Each Veterans Day, you can find articles published about the growing distance in American society between those who served in the Armed Forces and those who did not. It is commonly referred to as the “civil-military divide.” The oft-quoted statistic is that today less than 1% of the U.S. population serves in the Armed Forces, and less than 7% of the adult population are veterans. Whether or not the numbers are the cause of this so-called divide, one symptom is clear: many adults are hesitant to ask the veterans in their lives about their military service.
The reasons for this hesitation are many. We tell ourselves that we “could never understand what they went through,” so we don’t bother asking. We worry that there may be trauma that we could “trigger” by asking a question, so we decide that we better not. We think that we don’t “have the right” to ask any questions because we didn’t serve ourselves. Better just to say “Thank you for your service” and call it a Veterans Day.
While these thoughts are understandable, they are fictional reasons for a curious person to remain silent. Instead of self-censoring, consider instead striking up a conversation with a veteran in your life. Trust that your genuine curiosity about their service will shine through in your questions. Trust that a veteran is completely capable of choosing what they will and will not share with you. You should not ask to hear about a veteran’s worst day in the military, and certainly avoid “did you kill anyone,” but you may be surprised at how well you can relate to many of their experiences.
Questions like, Who was your best friend when you served? What was the hardest part of boot camp? Do you have any funny stories from training? (Prediction: they do.) Who was your most memorable instructor? What are you most proud of from your military service? What was the weather or food like at your duty station or when you deployed? Why did you join the military? can all help you better understand someone’s service.
Contrary to what you see in movies, there are many long, often boring hours associated with military service; there are countless jokes told, deep relationships formed, and positive experiences to go along with the difficult ones. Growing up, I was fortunate to have a friend and a role model who helped me understand that military service is rarely one-dimensional, even for a Purple Heart recipient. In the years since I joined the Marine Corps, I have tried to help others understand the same.
Here in the northwest corner and Dutchess County, we are fortunate to have great Americans like Tom living all around us. And as Veterans Day approaches, it is worth remembering that expressions of gratitude need not be limited to a single-sentence exchange. On November 11th, try honoring a veteran in your life by saying more than “Thank you.” Ask them about their service. You both may be thankful that you did.
Tim Morris resides in Lakeville.