The third time may be the charm for Borough of Newtown officials and its taxpayers, as a twice rescheduled annual budget hearing and vote has been set for 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 31, in the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall.The Newtown BeeBorough from permit fees generated by the soon-to-be-built assisted living center proposed for the site, and at least $87,000 of those fees will likely be in hand within weeks - possibly days. that he expects in excess of $100,000 will be received by the Borough Attorney Don Mitchell focusing on the comparatively astronomical requested increase that would see the normally modest Borough spending plan increase by roughly 75 percent.The Bee ran a story May 4 on the proposal, along with letters to the editor from Mr Gaston and former 

The initial meeting on May 8 had to be adjourned after too many residents flooded the meeting room to the point where it was over capacity by fire code, and a second attempt on May 17 was postponed by Borough Warden James Gaston out of concerns that residents might have been otherwise engaged in post-storm recovery.

Taxpayers planning to turn out for the rescheduled meeting May 31 will be the beneficiaries of new information that was not available before the earlier meetings, however. According to First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, parties involved in the likely acquisition of a parcel at the corner of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard were set to close on the purchase May 23.

That means crews will begin preliminary work on the property imminently. But no work can commence before the new owners or the developer of the site transact payments for building permits with both the Town and Borough.

Newtown Building Inspector John Poeltl told 

Borough building fee rate has not changed in nearly 20 years. Building fees received are a standard method for municipalities to recover costs and expenses. The start and finish dates of building projects are subject to uncertainty, i.e. change, and even cancellation."

After reaching out to Mr Gaston for a comment on the anticipated new revenue, he replied that "The 

Borough incurs costs and expenses for building, zoning, legal, and engineering services for such a project.

Mr Gaston affirmed that such fees are appropriate since the 

Borough residents or other entities, including nonprofits such as St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, etc," the Borough warden continued.

"The Assisted Living project started approximately two years ago, and absent litigation, will be completed in one to two more years. In other words, the costs and expenses incurred are expected to extend over three to four years. No developer receives special treatment over those of other 

Borough historic preservation work that continues to attract residents and businesses to Newtown.

Mr Gaston said development projects receive substantial benefits from 

"Historic preservation is not free. The developer did receive a generous town tax abatement reflecting a positive endorsement for the project," he said.

That abatement, which affects only Newtown and not Borough taxation, will provide a three-year delay and increase in taxation between the current property assessment of $158,000 and the anticipated assessment of $338,000 when the facility is complete and occupied.

As chairman of the Newtown Board of Finance, records from a February 22 meeting indicate that Mr Gaston voted in favor of the abatement.

Borough taxpayers, and like all revenues, assist in keeping the Borough mill rate historically low."

"As I have not received any definitive start date for the project, the exact timing of any building fees to be received remains uncertain," Mr Gaston related. "Of course, the fees are important to all 

The special tax district that is the Borough of Newtown traditionally has motivated little interest in its annual budget, related taxation, or even the election of its government officials.

Borough budget was peaked after 

But an uncharacteristic interest in the 

That would bump the current budget of $199,330 up to $354,330 on July 1, pushing a mill rate increase from 0.85 to 1.49. A mill represents $1 for every $1,000 in taxable property.

Borough burgesses hoped to amass a significant amount of funds that would be allocated for legal expenses.

Mr Gaston previously explained that he and 

Those funds, he said, needed to be in place for anticipated litigation to block a rumored multifamily development containing as many as 79 residential apartments on the current site of the abandoned Inn at Newtown.

Borough leaders are seeking a $100,000 special assessment to reserve funds for such a contingency. After consultation with Borough Counsel Monte Frank, Mr Gaston estimated that litigation costs could exceed $300,000.

The 

Several people exiting the postponed meeting could be heard complaining that the Borough already had more than a half-million dollars in reserve between a fund balance and a 12-month Certificate of Deposit (CD), and wondering why the special assessment along with an increased legal budget from $10,000 to $50,000 was necessary.

Borough spending proposal before calling for a vote. If the budget passes, the Borough Board of Burgesses will, according to the meeting agenda, move to set the new mill rate so tax bills can go out as scheduled.

Mr Gaston said he planned to review each line of the proposed 

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