Both the 2025-26 municipal and education budgets, as well as five proposed capital projects, all passed at referendum on April 22.

The municipal budget passed 2,479 to 1,777; the education budget margin was thinner but still passed, 1,838 to 1,748.

Advisory questions on whether the town budget should be higher if the budget failed went 1,266 Yes to 2,932 No; the advisory question on whether the education budget should be higher if the budget vote failed went 1,748 "yes" to 2,473 "no."

This year’s proposed budget is $49,866,665 for the town and $91,744,644 for the schools, for an overall bottom line of $141,611,309. The budgets include a 6.72% tax increase, as well as a 28.78 mill rate, a 1.81 increase from last year.

For the capital projects:

A $4,600,000 special appropriation and $4,600,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, acquisition and construction of HVAC upgrades, replacements, and improvements at Cyrenius H. Booth Library passed, 2,780 to 1,481.

A $4,300,000 special appropriation and $4,300,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, construction, reconstruction, remediation and replacement to the A, B, and C wings of the Newtown High School roof passed, 2,941 to 1,320.

A $1,524,000 special appropriation and $1,524,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, acquisition and installation of the Newtown Community Center Pool HVAC unit passed, 2,254 to 1,997.

A $1,000,000 special appropriation and $1,000,000 bond authorization for the Bridge Replacement Program passed, 3,020 to 1,217.

An $855,000 special appropriation and $855,000 bond authorization for the planning, design, renovation and upgrades to Edmond Town Hall passed, 2,770 to 1,490.

The Office of the Registrars report 23.4% of registered voters — or 4,287 of 18,310 eligible voters — participated in Tuesday’s voting session, conducted at Newtown Middle School. This week’s referendum marks yet another year of increased voter turnout. Further, the passage of both budgets and all the questions, making this year a “one and done” round, ended the multi-referendum cycle before it became a new streak.

Last year’s referendum cycle ended a 10-year streak of one and done budget votes that went from 2014 to 2023. It also saw increased voter engagement, however.

The education budget failed in the first round last year for the first time in 11 years, with 1,701 No votes to 1,194 Yes votes and with a 15.1% turnout during its first round. In May 2024 the education budget passed, 2,075 Yes votes to 1,198 No votes, with a turnout of 17.4%.

In 2023, Newtown had an approximately 8.8% turnout, the first year of increased participation after years of waning participation, especially following the COVID pandemic. In 2022, participation was only 7.7%, down from 8.98% in 2021. There was no budget referendum in 2020, due to the pandemic.

In 2019, turnout was 17%, up from 15.7% in 2018. In 2017, turnout was 19.9%.

‘Resounding Positive’

By 10 am Tuesday, ballot worker Anna Wiedemann said voter turnout had been “steady all morning up until that point.” Voting lines then grew considerably longer later in the day after many people got off work. Wiedemann also said she felt the sunny weather also helped get people to vote.

Ballot moderator Kenneth Canfield said the Town received new tabulators, or vote-counting machines, this year. These tabulators are completely digital compared to the previous ones which were analog, according to Canfield. While he said the new tabulators are a little bit slower, he personally felt they were more accurate.

“It also helps a lot with privacy because, if there’s a problem, [the new tabulator] holds the ballot and assesses the problem rather than spitting it back out,” Canfield said.

First Selectman Jeff Capeci reacted on Wednesday to the budget passing.

“I don’t have a magic ball to understand why it happened,” he said. “It was a decent turnout, which is always appreciated. The more voices we hear, the better we understand the needs of the community. Last year it was very low, 15%, this year we had a much higher turnout, and it was pretty resoundingly positive. Not only the budget, but the capital projects [as well].”

He added, “We have our marching orders, now we will execute the next fiscal year, and also find savings, but also broaden the tax base so we hopefully don’t have a tax increase like that next year at this time. We will continue to work to bring activity and commercial development on Fairfield Hills as well as other areas of town to support our residents and ease the burden a little bit.”

Capeci noted that the next few weeks will be a little easier as there will be no more budget meetings.

Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti also reacted to the budget passing, saying, “We’re just really grateful to the high degree of engagement from the community and everyone who supported the budget.”

Uberti said she heard throughout the day that there was a high voter turnout, adding that keeping their community engaged in the budgetary process is “really all they can ask for.”

Hearing about the high voter turnout, Uberti said she was “cautiously optimistic” that Newtown parents were coming out to support the education budget. She headed over to Newtown Middle School, where the referendum was held, after the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night along with some other community leaders while waiting for the results.

Uberti described the turnout as a team effort, with many people, especially local PTAs, working to get the message out to the parents not just yesterday, but in the months leading up to the referendum.

“We’re really grateful, looking forward to moving into the next school year,” the superintendent said. “The funding from the taxpayers will be used to provide the high quality education that our parents expect.”

Reporters Sam Cross and Jenna Visca also contributed to this story.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.