Referendum Happens Today

Thursday’s town-wide referendum on four proposed bonding projects: road and drainage repair, Town Hall renovations, new fire equipment and a new library, has generated a visible response in Suffield. If all four projects pass, they will total $14.8 million, including $1.5 million in outside fundraising for the new library.

With printed and homemade signs dotting the landscape and flyers delivered to most homes in Suffield, questions have been raised about the true costs of the project.

A mailing from Suffield Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility puts the cost of the new library at “$3,500 per household over the term of the loan.”

In a report presented at a town meeting on March 17, the average cost was stated as $2,900 per household over the 20-year term of the loan if all four of the projects pass.

Scott Lingenfelter, treasurer for Suffield Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, said the group’s figure comes from a review of the average home assessment in town and from evaluating the proposed bonds. Lingenfelter said the number his group used is different from the number used by town government to evaluate costs and budgets.

The town’s report provides a tax impact projection for a family living in a home valued at $300,000. Currently, such a home pays approximately $4,900 in town taxes. The additional payments break down into the following.

Roads and drainage: $33 per year, $660 over the term of the loan.

Fire equipment: $15 per year, $300 over the term of the loan.

Town Hall renovations: $21 per year, $420 over the term of the loan.

New library: $72 per year, $1,440 over the term of the loan.

Bonding expenses: $4 per year, $80 over the term of the loan.

Confusion may stem from the two amounts that have been presented as the total figures for bonding. While the total, all-inclusive figure is $14.8 million, the town will only spend $13.3 million total if all four projects pass.

Legally, the outside fundraising pledged by the library needs to be included in the bonding amount. Both the town's report and various officials have noted that the town would not spend more than $13.3 million if the fundraising does not reach its goal.

“The building committee will have to scale back the project if funding falls short,” the report said.

Two donations contingent on the new library being approved will bring the total outside funds raised to just more than $700,000, according to Mel Chafetz, president of the Suffield Public Library Foundation.