Voters Approve Honeywell, Not the Budget

Monroe's public schools will receive needed energy efficiency upgrades, but the town will have to wait for at least one more referendum vote before a budget for fiscal year 2013-14 is adopted.

On Tuesday, voters approved the Honeywell projects by a vote of 2,578 to 1,670 and defeated an $80.3 million budget proposal in the second referendum 2,217 to 2,067, according to the unofficial results.

The initial budget proposal carried a 4.24% mill rate increase and First Selectman Steve Vavrek reduced it by $200,000 after the April 3 referendum defeat, cutting the mill rate to 4.1%, but the majority of voters apparently wanted a bigger slice.

"I think we made a tremendous step forward and took a slight step back," Vavrek said after Honeywell passed and the budget went down. "I think we put together a great budget with bipartisan support across the board. People said, 'Don't cut much', and now we have to decide what to do."

The first selectman said he will meet with his staff members and focus on cuts to services. He vowed not to touch infrastructure funding and not to layoff any employees. "I know Jim feels the same way about that," Vavrek said of Supt. of Schools James Agostine.

Voter turnout was 33.4% with 4,248 of Monroe's 12,766 registered voters participating in the referendum. There were also 23 property owners who don't live in town voting off of the Grand List. Turnout was 1.7% higher than on the April 3 referendum.

Vavrek thanked town officials and the Parents Council for getting people to come to the polls.

The first selectman said he does not believe the 150 or so vote margin that the budget went down by was significant.

"I think there is a lot of apathy in this town and I don't necessarily believe that a non-vote is a no vote," he said.

Honeywell

The energy efficiency projects for Masuk High, Jockey Hollow Middle and Fawn Hollow and Stepney elementary schools should receive $655,417 in reimbursement funds from a CL&P program and Honeywell says the rest will be paid for through the savings in the Board of Education's utility bills.

The bonding will be paid for over a 10-year-period.

As part of the agreement with the town, Honeywell will donate money for door locks for classrooms as part of upgraded security measures at town schools.