The DTC Statement on the 2025-26 Budget

The North Haven Democratic Town Committee supports a "Yes" vote on the May 20, 2025 town budget vote. It is the best option available for our community.

David Cohen, Peter Criscuolo, and Steve Gifford at the May, 2025 DTC Monthly Meeting

This is an imperfect budget, but also a necessary one. It will require a tax increase that will be felt by many families and residents. But it will also preserve critical services — from education and public safety to library hours and recreational programs — that we rely on and that make North Haven a vibrant and welcoming place to live.

The need for some increase in North Haven did not arise overnight. Our current budget reality stems, in no small part, from years of failing to invest in modernizations and improvements. Choosing not to raise the mill rate in prior years, or arguing to lower it at times, despite increasing costs and growing needs, takes the political easy path instead of the long-term right path.  Deferring investments in infrastructure, education, and community services has left us with hard choices today.

Our state representatives have also failed to secure state funding that we desperately needed to avoid further shifting the tax burden onto local taxpayers. In education, North Haven brings home far less in state funding than comparable districts. According to the Connecticut School Finance Project, North Haven ranks 136th out of 169 towns in per-pupil Education Cost Sharing funding — well below the state average. North Haven schools are forced to do more with less to achieve the same results year after year, and critical capital projects have been put off. 

In emergency services, our fire department was denied the four new positions requested this year, despite needing at least 12 new firefighters (and at least one additional apparatus) to reach the level of staffing required to align with industry best practice. The impossible trade-offs voters are forced to grapple with at this year’s budget referendum  - a lower tax bill, or a guaranteed response to a 911 call, for example - won’t be fixed with one year’s budget and demand leadership accountability. 

We cannot undo more than a decade of inadequate investment in our wonderful town, but we can choose to learn from it and build a better future. The North Haven DTC believes in a future where our town doesn’t just survive, but thrives. That future depends on consistent, responsible investment in our schools, our services, and our shared quality of life.

Passing this budget on May 20th is a critical step forward. We urge all residents to make a plan to vote and to vote YES— not just for this year’s services, but for the future we all deserve.

Let’s build that future together.

— North Haven Democratic Town Committee