Community Corner

Killingworth Budget Sent to Referendum

A successful petition drive by former first selectman Gerald Lucas has resulted in the town's first ever budget vote by referendum.

 

For years, Killingworth voters have voted on the budget at a town meeting.

That will not happen this year.

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Former first selectman Gerald Lucas has successfully collected 275 (200 necessary) signatures to require the 2012-2013 budget be voted on by referendum.

In a press release sent Thursday, Killingworth resident Richard T. Ross, identifying himself as the spokesman for Lucas' Killingworth Watchdog Group, claimed that voting at a town meeting was "intimdating" because "raising their hand pits one neighbor against another."

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ross also said residents complained that the time of the meeting — 8 p.m. — was "inconvenient."

which is 4.5 percent lower than current spending.

In an interview with the Middletown Press, first selectman Cathy Iino questioned the rationale for the petition, indicating that residents might have been given incorrect information by the people collecting signatures.

A referendum, she told the newspaper, could cost $3,000 to $4,000.

Iino said the town's mill rate would increase by about 2 mills under the current budget proposal, but that 90 percent of residents would see a decrease in their tax bill.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here