DARIEN — The Board of Finance recently approved a $191.9 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27, a $7.8 million increase over the current year.
It now heads to the Representative Town Meeting for a final vote at 7:30 p.m. in town hall on May 11.
The board approved the proposal with no changes to the town or school sides.
If approved, the mill rate will go to 16.06 mills, which is 0.58 mills more than the current year. The first of two semi-annual property tax payments will be available on July 1.
During the final Board of Finance budget meeting, members also voted on a number of capital items, along with making some adjustments to the town’s investment earning projections for the next year.
One of the approved items is $56,200 to renovate the lobby of Darien’s police headquarters, which in part would make the building more accessible to people with disabilities. During the discussion, finance board members mentioned the police station is under consideration for either a renovation or full teardown and rebuild in the coming years.
“I think over the past couple months there’s been some discussions that have come up about bigger picture and longer term what needs to be done to that facility,” said Board of Finance Chair James Palen. “There’s been some discussions about whether or not it needs to be a further, larger renovation than the small fixes that we’ve had over the past five to ten years, whether that needs to be moved to a full rebuild.”
Board Member Dan Bumgardner questioned why they would spend the money if the building may be torn down in the near future.
First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said it would likely not be an issue, given the small amount of money involved, and the additions to the station would get plenty of use in the intervening years.
“The standard should be that for the time period that these professionals will have to be in this building, is this a significant item for functionality, personal comfort, all of that in the opinion of the professionals that manage that building that we should go ahead and do,” said Zagrodzky. “Even if we are going to tear the entire building down, it’s highly likely this money that would be spent would be on a space that would have two or three years of use, it’s not like we’re just throwing away money.”
Additionally, $75,000 was approved to conduct a traffic circulation study at Cherry Lawn Park, to assess parking, standing vehicle access, pedestrian circulation issues and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. While some board members questioned the priority of the item in the budget, the motion to remove it failed.
The board also approved $40,000 for the rehabilitation of the bath house at Weed Beach, and $292,518 for the Great Island Management Fund.