Town Of Stonington Releases Budget Hearing Process, Schedule

Press release from the Town of Stonington:

STONINGTON, CT — Budget season officially starts on January 28, 2025 with our first public meeting, held by the Board of Selectman, regarding our Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget .

Starting Thursday February 20, 2025, the Stonington Board of Finance budget process will begin and continue through the month of March and into April.

Ahead of these meetings, Town Departments work during the fall months to put together their upcoming budgets. As part of this, the First Selectman and Director of Finance meet with staff from each Town Department to go over their past and future budgets in preparation for putting together the 2025-26 Stonington Budget.

The Board of Finance meetings mark the start of the process where the elected, volunteers on the Board of Finance will hear from the various Town agencies and local nonprofits requesting funding through our municipal budget. This series of budget presentations go into detail on all areas of the budget and are a great way to get a deeper understanding of the inner workings of our local government.

After the presentations are completed, the Board of Finance will enter into deliberations, where they publicly discuss how best to balance the many pressing financial needs and investment opportunities within our community. After deliberations, we hold a Public Hearing where taxpayers have the opportunity to share views on specific line items within the budget.

The First Selectman then presents the final budget at a Town Meeting, at which time the Board of Selectman typically vote to move the budget to a referendum for taxpayers to vote on the budget directly.

We encourage all residents to engage in the budget process, as the investments being made in our community will impact many aspects of daily life in both the short- and long-term. The draft budget is still being complied and once complete you can find it on the Finance Departments webpage here .

Please note, the below dates/times/location could be subject to change. Please check the Town’s website at www.stonington-ct.gov to confirm in advance of attending any meeting.

If you have questions, feedback or ideas related to the budget process or specific line items, please reach out to the Selectman's Office to set up a time to meet ahead of or during the budget season.

Thank you Stonington.

This press release was produced by the Town of Stonington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.