This article has been updated from the story in the April 7 print edition. Police cannot provide rides to polls, as stated in the print story.

The League of Senior Voters organized a special event at the Newtown Senior Center, on March 28, to educate residents on the proposed tax increases. The public meeting had previously been postponed due to a snowstorm.

State Representative Mitch Bolinsky and Newtown Legislative Council Chair Mary Ann Jacob were guest speakers who addressed the audience about the state level budget, the town's budget, and the specifics on the upcoming ballot's referendum.

Attendees were able to express their concerns and ask questions throughout the event for a better understanding of the impact of the town budget vote on their lives.

During the first portion of the meeting, Mr Bolinsky went over the governor's proposed 2017-18 budget and how it will affect Newtown.

"The governor basically drew a line in the sand, and he said you guys come to the table for $7 million worth of givebacks, concessions, etc, or if you say no we're just going to lay off ten percent of the work force, which in broad terms would be about 5,000 people," he explained. "It would create an economic disaster in the State of Connecticut."

Rep Bolinsky felt strongly, referring to the governor's budget as the "doomsday budget," and said that since receiving the planned budget he and the Appropriations Committee have been working diligently to combat it.

"I'm not here to depress anybody, but the financial picture of the state is not wonderful," Rep Bolinsky said.

Ms Jacob supplied the crowd with an informational packet on the Board of Finance Recommended Budget for Newtown.

"This budget was originally composed from a request by the Board of Selectman and the Board of Education and what they proposed," said Ms Jacob. "Then it went to the Board of Finance and there were some reductions made there. It's been presented as the Board of Finance recommended budget to the Legislative Council."

Over the last few weeks leading up to the League of Senior Voters event, the council had been working through that recommendation, and April 4 was the deadline for making a recommendation on what to present to the voters for approval.

Key points that she highlighted were that the proposed budget calls for an increase of $1,809,699 or 1.6 percent; the mill rate to go from 33.6 to 34.24; the tax rate increase would be 1.9 percent; and the estimated intergovernmental revenues would decrease 21 percent over the 2016-17 adopted amount.

"Remember, like a state budget, this is a work in progress. This is not likely what exactly you will see at the polls," said Ms Jacob.

Another handout that Ms Jacob went over with the group was the "Governor's Proposed 2017-18 Budget Effect on Newtown."

In it, she listed off specific items like the $3,917,100 teacher retirement contribution the state is hoping to receive.

Ms Jacob said it is essentially a "request for us to write the state a check for $3.9 million to pay the debt of teacher retirements that they have not funded."

The potential total cost for all the features listed on the governor's plans that would effect Newtown's budget would be an estimated $7.6 million.

Ms Jacob said, "We have to, as a community, make a decision about what we think the right approach is and how we communicate it to the residents and what do we do when it comes time to vote."

Referendum

"There has also been a lot of discussion as to what is going to be on the referendum," said Ms Jacob.

She supplied an example of the upcoming referendum to the group to show what voters can expect to see on the ballot.

Voters will be asked to indicate yes or no to approving the following money for town projects: $300,000 for the planning and design of the Newtown Police facility and improvements; $750,000 for the second phase for planning, design, engineering, and construction of Newtown High School Auditorium renovations and improvements; $850,000 for the planning, design, engineering, replacement, and construction of a new roof at Hawley School; $1 million for the planning, design, engineering, reconstruction, and construction of town roads; $1.8 million for the planning, design, engineering, reconstruction, and construction of improvements at the Newtown Middle School; and $3 million for the planning, design, engineering, reconstruction, and construction of a new senior center.

"The goal of these questions is to give the council direction in the event that the budget fails," said Ms Jacob. "If the budget passes, the referendum questions don't make an impact on anything."

She explained that the items listed are town buildings that require important work to keep them up to date and maintain them.

Ms Jacob added, "This money is not in the budget; this money is what we are borrowing over a long period of time."

Audience Feedback and Inquiries

After discussing the referendum, Newtown League of Senior Voters President and Co-founder Rudy Magnan looked to the speakers for answers as to why the full referendum questions are phrased in a complicated way.

"Most people who read this are going to have a tough time understanding what the real question is," said Mr Magnan. "There is going to be continued confusion when people go to vote, and consequently the vote that they are going to make is not going to be the vote they really want."

Ms Jacob said that questions cannot necessarily be simplified, as they are crafted by lawyers to be presented in a way that is impartial and will not sway voters' decisions.

What they have done, she said, is communicated with different groups to put explanatory language on the walls of the voting places, so accomplishing clarity can be done legally without advocating.

The discussion of absentee ballots was also brought up, considering some seniors can not get to the designated places to vote due to mobility issues. The guest speakers acknowledged the process of obtaining an absentee ballot can be complicated, but that it can be done successfully.

Ms Jacob said that if family members or friends are unable to assist someone in getting to a place to properly vote a police officer, by law, is "allowed to bring in an absentee ballot if they have agreed to be a designee in advance."

Mr Magnan also voiced concerns about the town's planned budget, saying, "When I look at all the borrowing that is going to be involved, yes, we are going to get more revenue in, but it puts us in the hole more and more."

In response, Ms Jacob explained, the town has reduced its cost relating to borrowing this year by $200,000.

"As our budget has gone up, our borrowing has gone down," Ms Jacob said.

Over the last three years town officials have narrowed the gap between what the town spends and what it borrows, acknowledging it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

"Every single tax increase brings migration to the south," Rep Bolinsky said.

He told the group that he understands the struggle residents, especially seniors on a fixed income, face when taxes are raised. He does not want to see more residents forced to move out of Newtown because of taxes.

Ms Jacob summarized, "We have to remember, as a community, we have to make some decisions in what we want to invest in. We have to make a decision as a community who we want to be, what we want to invest in, and what that is worth to us, and try to balance those investments in a way that is fair to tax payers, but also makes our community grow."