Enfield raises taxes, but the bigger fight is just beginning
The budget fight Monday was sharply partisan and along familiar lines: cuts versus spending, and tax rates versus services. But the debate is also being shaped by forces that have little to do with party politics. The Enfield Town Council adopted a budget that set the mill rate at 33.11, a 1.61 mill increase, or about 5.1%, for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Republicans opposed it and lost every vote to amend the majority proposal. The final vote was 7-4. The approaches could not have been more different. Carol Hall, a Republican councilor and state representative, said Republicans were aiming for roughly a quarter-mill increase, which she said would add about $3.85 a month to the tax bill of a $300,000 home. The adopted budget adds about $338 annually — roughly $28 a month — to the tax bill of a $300,000 home assessed at 70%. The biggest point of contention was a Republican proposal to reduce the Board of Education increase by about $1.9 million and instead use school reserve...
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