News From The Wilton First Selectman's Office, March 13, 2025

Press release from the Town of Wilton:

March 13, 2025 - 1:20pm

News from the First Selectman's Office, March 13, 2025

Some “Heavy Lifting”

It has been a lengthy, sometimes dramatic, budget negotiation season. But, the Board of Selectmen have now sent their financial blueprint for FY26 on to the Board of Finance, who will begin holding public hearings on this budget. At this point, the Board of Selectmen can turn their attention to the list of bond items that the Town needs, voting once again on which are the most vital and should come before the voters on May 6.

Throughout this process there have been many other highlights that have brightened Town Hall life, which we are pleased to share.

Board of Selectmen Budget Agreement

But first, let’s look at the numbers. On March 3, the Board of Selectmen approved a budget for FY26 of $37,402,033, which is 4.41% more than last year’s budget. This financial plan for Town operations has now been passed to the Board of Finance for their consideration. At their last meeting, the Board of Finance was projecting a possible 2.7% tax increase, after taking into account this year’s significant growth of the Grand List. The Board of Finance can change this number after conducting public hearings on the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen’s recommended budgets.

Under extreme constraints, the Board of Selectmen was able to include a 3% increase in the library’s budget (from $3,028,162 in 2025 to $3,119,007 for 2026), to meet the growing demand for its programs and services, and fund the hiring of two new firefighters, which will expand the Wilton Fire Department for the first time in 25 years. Some may wonder why we need to augment the force this year if Wilton has gone so long making do with what they have. The answer lies in the rapid changes Wilton has experienced since the pandemic, which is evidenced by all the new construction of multi-family housing and businesses, plus the rise in local, private sector hiring. While controlled expansion and diversification can be a sign of a healthy community, the town services that support this kind of development experience real strain. Emergency services must keep pace with the shifting landscape of dangers, from multi-story building challenges, to highly combustible construction materials, electronics and chemicals, to more congested roads, and to a rise in emergency calls that is greater than at any other time in Wilton's history. Managing these changing conditions is of the utmost importance to Town leaders who consider public safety their primary concern. This is why it was decided that investing in Wilton’s Fire Department was a safeguard that could no longer wait.

As challenging as last year’s budget process was, this year’s deliberations kept everyone on tenterhooks, beginning with two significant surprises. One, the State of Connecticut raised the healthcare insurance costs for Union employees by 13%, adding an unexpected $466,000 to Wilton’s budget. Additionally, surplus Town funds from a previous self-funded health insurance account had been depleted. The significant monies leftover in that self-funded health insurance account had been used by earlier administrations to keep Wilton’s budgets smaller than the actual costs of running the Town. In other words, instead of passing on increasing costs to the Wilton taxpayer, withdrawals from this reserve were used to minimize the financial pinch Wiltonians may otherwise have felt. With all of that money no longer available, the budget this year appears magnified – which, in fact, it is: by $766,000. This equals the amount of money that was typically withdrawn from the reserve fund every year plus the dramatic increase in healthcare costs. Before the FY26 budget talks even began, these two items alone increased the Town’s budget by over 4 percent.

The Board of Selectmen, together with our indefatigable town staff, worked the town’s finances to their bone. Some long-term cost saving, and pragmatic, measures had to be shelved, to everyone’s disappointment. For many seasons, the Department of Public Works has expressed frustration that the Town does not have its own in-house maintenance crew with a tools van that can manage rudimentary repairs on Town properties. So much money, time and energy are lost in creating work bids, finding the best repair firm, writing and overseeing contracts with these outside companies and then policing their invoices. As is explained below with our IT Department, a little upfront investment in the right staff and the necessary equipment can yield huge savings and efficiency benefits to Wilton. Alas, this important improvement to Town functioning will have to wait for another year. This is only one illustration of the kind of reductions that were made to present the Wilton taxpayers the most fair and correct budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

But, there was also some excellent news along the way that helped soften these financial blows.

Grand List

As we recently reported, Wilton’s Grand List increased by a robust $75.4 million, or 1.32% in 2024. Again, the Grand List is the total value of all taxable property in Wilton, including residential, commercial, personal business property, and motor vehicles. The biggest factor in the grand list growth is new construction and the renovations made by homeowners in the last year. When these values increase, the Town can more easily raise the revenue it needs to meet the 2026 Fiscal Year budget. When the Grand List grows by a large percentage, an individual’s property taxes only increase if their property’s value surpasses that of the Grand List.

This is why a substantial growth in the Grand List’s value is often good news for the Board of Finance and property tax payers. But it is always an excellent indicator of Wilton’s desirability as a place to live, work and educate children because it is based on current market conditions.

And there are other strong economic measures: Apartment construction values were up 62.15%; Personal property was up by 7.43%; and residential properties gained 0.46% over the prior year. Commercial properties and motor vehicles did see a dip in their values by -11.18% and -5.4% respectively, but it is clear that Wilton continues to be a top choice for families and businesses. Our Town amenities and our stellar school system help Wilton sell itself.

Miller-Driscoll Rebate

The State of Connecticut has a policy to reimburse between 100% (cities) to 21% (affluent towns like Wilton) of school construction costs back to the municipalities that build them. Miller-Driscoll’s renovation amounted to $36 million when it was completed in 2017, but the yearlong effort to bring funds due to Wilton from the State were only just recently realized when $1.2 million was sent to our Town bank account in February and after an audit could be conducted. This long overdue payment from the state came in the midst of another tight budget year and provided a tremendous uplift. These funds could possibly help pay down the debt Wilton voted to incur by building the new police station, which could minimize these costs from being passed onto the Wilton taxpayer. However, how to utilize the $1.2 million is for the Board of Finance to decide.

Wilton Police Station

The construction of the new Police Station is almost 50% complete. All the interior walls on the 1st Floor have been built and covered in gypsum board, or drywall, where it was needed. The walls of the Second Floor have been framed and the mechanical components are being installed. The underlayment has been installed on the roof. Roof metal panels are expected next month.

Information Technology Upgrades

There is no question that Wilton's information technology hardware and software has needed upgrading for years. Now, it is a top focus. In today’s environment, very little progress can be made without the right technology. For the last year, Wilton’s IT Department, now lead by newly hired Nick Cataldo, has streamlined, upgraded or installed new systems that have vastly improved how Wilton works.

Current Improvements

This year, our website and Town Hall email system moved from the .org platform to the more official .gov domain. As .org websites are generally reserved for non-governmental organizations and non-profits, a .gov website for the government of Wilton clarifies who we are and what we do. Moreover, having a .gov domain subjects our website and email system to regulatory compliance standards, such as data privacy regulations and transparency mandates. When the public receives information from our .gov website or email address, they can be confident that official representatives of Town Hall is addressing them and that the information they are receiving is credible and safe. We hope that our move to a .gov domain demonstrates the Town of Wilton’s commitment to public service.

Our new, cloud-based email system also ensures greater security and brings this vital communication system up to modern standards. It also makes collaboration among our employees much smoother.

Bringing in advanced technology tools has also reduced outside vendor costs because Wilton’s IT Department now has the capability to manage services and support systems that they previously had to look to other IT firms to oversee.

Upgrading our network and system infrastructure will be ongoing but we are able to build and design now with an understanding of Wilton’s future needs.

Upcoming improvements

Some things we’re looking forward to upgrading: New desktop computers for all users; new WiFi for all Town buildings (a pothole in Town connectivity that was made glaringly obvious when board meetings broadcast over Zoom from Comstock suffered numerous glitches); a new phone system; a new Website and consolidation of software and streamlined processes to improve workflow.

Springtime Flowers

A quick walk around the Wilton Town Hall campus showed that the daffodils planted last year by the Wilton Garden Club as part of their Daffodil Mile are starting to poke through the ground. When they all bloom it is going to be a glorious site. We are indebted to the Club for their generous donation of time, labor and, of course, bulbs, but almost as importantly, for their vision. They took a large patch of empty ground and saw an opportunity to create delight and wonder for us all. Vision and generosity of spirit are the twin elements that should guide all of us who love Wilton as we consider the investments needed for 2026 and beyond.

“May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch to your door and happiness be your guest today and evermore.”

Toni BoucherFirst SelectmanTown of Wilton

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