Old Lyme Budget Approved Unanimously

At the annual Town Budget Meeting last night, Old Lyme residents voted unanimously to approve the $32,853,111 budget as recommended by the Board of Finance for fiscal year 2013-2014.

Given that it was just $169,825 more than the budget approved last fiscal year and resulted in only a marginal increase in the mill rate from 19.26 to 19.30 mills, the outcome was not unexpected.

"I want to compliment all those in town government for living [within] the budget," one Old Lyme resident said. "The people who are spending my money in this town are doing a great job." 

You might think that, with $32.8 million on the line, more people would have turned out for this meeting. But the man who stood up to compliment the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectmen on a job well done was one of fewer than 25 people who attended the annual meeting—with elected officials and town employees in the majority.  

There were two additional items on last night's agenda. Voters also approved appropriating $180,000 for the town’s emergency management account to pay for costs associated with Storm Sandy and to appropriate  $170,300 for the town’s emergency management account in connection with the February blizzard. The town anticipates that at least 75 percent of that money will be reimbursed by FEMA.