BERLIN — Berlin residents will return to the polls May 26 for a second referendum on the town’s proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget after voters rejected both the town government and Board of Education spending plans last month, saying the budgets were too low.
Town officials have revised the proposal ahead of the second vote, slightly increasing both the total budget and the proposed mill rate.
According to documents submitted for the second referendum, the proposed general fund budget now totals about $110.26 million, an increase from the roughly $110.08 million proposal voters rejected in April.
The revised proposal also increases the mill rate from 31.28 to 31.32.
The changes follow strong opposition during the first referendum, in which many voters said both spending plans were too low. The Board of Education budget failed by a vote of 1,022 to 459, while the town government budget failed 1,237 to 249.
The original proposed FY27 budget included a 3.48% increase over the current year and called for a 0.66 mill increase. Officials said after the referendum that the Board of Finance would review the results and consider revisions before sending a new proposal to the Town Council.
Town officials had previously said the education budget could see a larger increase because voters clearly signaled support for additional school funding during the referendum.
The second referendum will take place the day after Memorial Day.
If voters reject the budget a second time, the process will move to the next stage, where the town would set the mill rate without another referendum.
Turnout during the first referendum was higher than usual. Town officials reported that 1,512 voters participated, representing about 9.39% of eligible voters, roughly double the turnout from the previous year.