Middlebury’s news - without the noise
This week delivered the numbers we have been waiting for. The joint Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance meeting Wednesday produced a full budget picture and a draft mill rate that, if it holds, would mean a meaningful cut to your tax bill for the mill rate (note: not your assessment). Plus the selectman special election has a date and there's a $224 million school construction hearing Monday night.
Today
The Selectman Special Election is Set, and Approaching Fast
Coverage from Wednesday’s BOS and BOF Meeting…What that Means for Your Taxes (not the savings you may think)
Region 15 Public Hearing and Vote
Middlebury Selectman Special Election Is Set for June 23rd
After months of back-and-forth over the date, the Connecticut Secretary of the State has officially posted the special election calendar.
The seat on the Middlebury Board of Selectmen has been contested, procedurally, at least, since November. Jennifer Mahr won the first selectwoman's race, leaving a vacancy. Five town officials appointed Brian Shaban to fill it in January. Petitions for a special election followed with 416 verified signatures. The Board of Selectmen then spent weeks disagreeing over when to hold it, with Mahr proposing June 2nd, Vance and Shaban voting that down, and the matter getting tabled more than once.
The date is now settled. The Connecticut Secretary of the State's office has posted the official special election calendar for the Middlebury Board of Selectman race: June 23rd, 2026.
Shaban, who was appointed in January, is expected to run as the Republican candidate. No other candidates have been publicly announced. June 23rd puts the race about seven weeks after the May 6th budget referendum, meaning town voters will be going to the polls twice this spring.
Your Mill Rate Could Drop 18%…Here's What the Budget Boards Just Approved.
Both boards voted unanimously Wednesday night to send the proposed FY2026-2027 budget to a public hearing and the draft mill rate is 26.56, down from 32.52.
At Wednesday's joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, both boards voted unanimously to advance the proposed FY2026-2027 budget to a public hearing on April 7th. The full picture came into focus for the first time.
Total proposed town budget: $45,686,958, a 2.29% increase from last year. The General Fund portion is $13,966,457, up 3.65%. Middlebury's share of the Region 15 operating budget is proposed at $31,720,500, a 1.70% increase. The Capital Budget comes in at $583,000 — down 72% from the prior year's $2,093,000.
The headline number for homeowners: the draft mill rate is 26.56, down 18.33% from the current rate of 32.52. That drop is largely a function of the completed property revaluation which pushed residential values up significantly. When the tax base grows, the mill rate adjusts downward to raise roughly the same revenue. The Board of Education has not yet voted on its budget, so the mill rate is still subject to change. Keep in mind though, that assessments have gone up…so don’t expect an 18% decrease in your tax bill.
The biggest drivers of the General Fund increase are employee salaries, medical insurance, FICA, a new fire truck lease, police body camera and IT contracts, and Probate Court costs. On the public safety side, the budget includes a dedicated School Resource Officer for Middlebury's schools…a new line item.
Two referendum questions did not survive the joint vote. A $50,000 ask to begin updating Middlebury's Plan of Conservation and Development passed the BOS 2-1 but deadlocked the BOF 3-3; a tie fails, so it's off the ballot for now. A separate $825,000 request to finish the sprinkler system at Fire Department headquarters was voted down unanimously by both boards and the town is waiting to hear whether a federal Community Project Funding grant applied for through Congresswoman Hayes' office will cover the cost before appropriating new funds.
[Update] Region 15 Wants to Borrow $224 Million…Public Hearing Is Set for Monday.
Residents from Middlebury and Southbury can speak on the record about the proposed school construction bond the first formal public opportunity to do so.
As we’ve covered before, the Region 15 Board of Education is asking voters to authorize a $224 million bond to replace Pomperaug Elementary School and Gainfield Elementary School with two new buildings. The public hearing is Monday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the media center at Pomperaug High School.
This is not a vote. Residents from both towns can attend and speak on the record before the board moves toward a referendum. The proposed bond would finance planning, design, construction, and equipping of both schools. A separate building committee would determine the final scope.
Also moving through its own process: Region 15's proposed FY2026-2027 operating budget. The gross budget figure presented at Wednesday's joint meeting is $95,754,220, a 5.3% increase. Middlebury's share is $31,720,500. The Region 15 BOE's own budget hearing is also Monday, March 23rd at the same location.
At $224 million in construction on top of a 5.3% operating budget increase, this is a consequential moment for taxpayers in both towns. Monday night is the time to show up.
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 23 — Region 15 Public Hearing on $224M school construction bond and FY2026-27 operating budget, 6:30 p.m., Pomperaug High School Media Center
Tuesday, April 7 — Public hearing on Middlebury's proposed FY2026-2027 town budget, 6:30 p.m., Library Meeting Room, Middlebury Public Library
Wednesday, May 6 — Middlebury Annual Budget Referendum
Tuesday, June 23 — Middlebury Board of Selectman Special Election
Spring is here! Have a great day,
-Middlebury Morning
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