💸 Budget, Bureaucracy, and Backup Generators: Farmington Passes $136.7M Budget in Marathon Town Council Meeting

April 7, 2025 — Town Hall Council Chambers

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TL;DR: What You Missed While Watching the Masters

💰 FY25–26 Budget Passed: $136.7M (+6.35% YoY)
🧾 Tax Hike: Mill rate up to 26.62; avg homeowner pays $353 more
🏫 BOE Budget: $83.24M, up 4.65%
🛠️ Bonded Projects: HVAC, roofs, police generator, sidewalks
🧹 Town Cleanup Day: April 26 — bring bags, bring friends, bring competition
🎭 Memorial Day Parade: Back in Unionville (weather permitting)
🧑‍🍳 Carol’s Lunchbox: Now open at Westwoods Golf Course (with Sunday breakfast!)

⛳ Golf Course Gets a Glow-Up and New Faces

Town Manager Kathleen Blonsky introduced a refreshed Westwoods Golf Course team:

Jesse: New Director, Parks & Rec
Steve: Golf Pro (debuted today, rain permitting)
JP (Since 2017): Golf Superintendent
Jim Rose-Basin: Maintenance Lead
Carol & Mike: Operators of Carol’s Lunchbox – open Mon–Sat 11–7:30, Sundays 7–7:30 (yes, there’s breakfast ☕🍳)

🏌️ A new patio and restaurant furniture were added, and the pro shop has been revitalized. Westwoods is also temporarily hosting Canton High School’s golf team.

🧾 Budget Breakdown: $136.7M and Some Potholes

📊 FY25–26 Proposed Budget:

Total: $136,765,432
📈 Increase: $8,164,267 (+6.35%)

🏛️ Town Operations: $36,441,160 (+4.05%)

Public Works: +6.09%
Community/Recreation: +15.93%
Utilities: +9.87%
Electric: +23.5%
Communication Costs: +19%

🚓 Police:

+$167,245 for 3 vehicles (2 marked, 1 unmarked)
Equipment included

🧽 Custodian:

+$11,500 to maintain new Town Hall, 1928 Building, Staples House

💙 Nonprofits:

Hope Partners: +$10,000
Interval House: +$5,000

💸 Cuts:

-$140K (Town Capital)
-$244,482 (Board of Ed Capital)

💡 Fund Balance Use:

$800,000 appropriation; fund balance remains compliant

🧾 Mill Rate:

26.62 mills (+1.17)
Avg residential increase: $353.39

🏫 BOE Budget: $83.24M, Strategic and Student-Focused

Presented by Superintendent Dr. Kathy Greider:

Total: $83,240,983 (+4.65%)
Salaries: 66% of total; +4.26%
Services (special ed, facilities, tuition): +10.39%
Insurance: +0.74%
Equipment: +7.37%
Capital Improvements: $1,349,518

📉 Farmington ranks 107th in per-pupil spending — about $985 below state average, but still leads in educational outcomes.

🎓 Superintendent search underway; community profile presentation on April 8.

🙋 Public Comment: One Attempt, Zero Sound

In-person: None
Online: Tim Kelly raised his hand but couldn’t unmute. We all felt the suspense. The Council eventually moved on.

🏛️ Committee Highlights

🔨 1928 Building

Selective demolition completed
Drywall starts soon
Project on schedule

🚒 Fire Station

Awaiting final pricing
More details forthcoming

🚶 Sidewalk Committee

Only 33% of town has sidewalks
29 streets walked, 0 perfect sidewalks
Next meeting: April 9

🚲 Bicycle Advisory

April 9: Driver-bike safety training at Town Garage
April 26: Trail cleanup during town cleanup day
Two trail fountains operational
Pushing for better Route 4 biking infrastructure

🏫 Farmington High School Building

Nearing completion
Furniture delivery this month
Substantial completion date TBD

♻️ Green Efforts Committee

April 26: Town Cleanup Day a.k.a. “The Super Bowl”
Gift card prizes from Fork & Fire, Wooden Tap, Bollywood Dreams, and more
Four trash drop sites + maps
“Bring your family, team, or sworn enemy — just pick up litter.”

🏛️ Bonds, Motions, and Manholes

🔧 Bond Projects Approved

$1M: Highway & Grounds HVAC
$2.65M: Senior Center HVAC + Roof
- Original 2002 systems, leaking and failing
Bundling HVAC + roof to save money

🧰 Other Capital Actions

Police Generator Replacement:
- 20 years old, failing, unreparable
- Funded via LOTCIP grant: $219,438
Sewer Manhole Adjustment:
- 51 manholes to be raised
- $191,900 to Sorelli Construction
- 28 manholes on state roads (DOT reimbursing)

🏛️ Other Motions

ADA, Fair Housing, and EEO policies reaffirmed
Annual report (FY23–24) accepted
Johnson Ave renamed Liebinger Way
April 22 Town Council meeting canceled (due to April 21 Town Meeting)
May 15 referendum warning approved
Parade to proceed in Unionville

🗓️ Key Dates You Actually Care About

📅 Date	📝 Event
April 12	Spring Celebration @ Polo Club, 10am–1pm
April 21	Annual Town Meeting @ FHS, 7pm
April 26	Green Efforts Town Cleanup Day
May 1	Budget Referendum (6am–8pm)
May 18	UNICO Italian Dinner @ Holy Family Retreat

✍️ Jack Beckett, Senior Writer

Drinking lukewarm Dunkin’ in a Town Council seat near you. I’m here for the manholes, HVACs, and passive-aggressive parade route debates.

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📦 And if you’ve made it this far — put your stuff in Farmington Storage. They read every inch of this and still sponsored it.

#WeAreFarmington #LastToFirst #TownBudgetMadness2025

The Farmington Mercury

Budget, Bureaucracy, and Backup Generators: Farmington Passes $136.7M Budget in Marathon Town Council Meeting