Windsor Town Council Budget Hearing - April 7, 2026
Windsor Town Council Budget Hearing - April 7, 2026
The Windsor Town Council held a budget hearing on April 7, 2026, reviewing the proposed fiscal year 2027 budgets for the Board of Education, general fund revenues, library, public works, landfill enterprise, and residential transfer station enterprise. The meeting featured presentations from department heads and extensive Q&A with council members.
Discussion Items
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Board of Education (BOE) Budget: Superintendent Dr. Noha Abdel Haiti presented a proposed FY27 budget of approximately $93.4 million, a 4.97% increase ($4.4 million) over the previous year's $89 million. The increase is driven by contractual obligations (2.2%), employee benefits (9.39% increase), transportation (13.64% increase), physical plant and utilities (12.04% increase), and technology. The district serves about 3,200 students (42% Black, 25% Hispanic, 20% White, 3.2% Asian, 9.4% two or more races; 48% free/reduced lunch, 22% special education, 3.6% multilingual learners). Key trade-offs included cutting an administrator and a dean to add a pre-K special ed assistant, a social worker, a nurse, an IT technician, and a behavior analyst. Savings from reduced magnet school tuition ($300,000) and special education out-of-district placements ($500,000) total $1.1 million. New additions include 10 paraprofessional substitutes ($406,000) and four world language teachers ($300,000), resulting in net savings of $513,000. The district has improved its state accountability index from 157th to 119th out of 199 districts and ranks third among 36 Alliance districts. Councilors commended the presentation and noted that 4.72% of the 4.97% increase is contractually obligated.
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General Fund Revenues: Finance Director Jim Bork presented the proposed FY27 general fund revenue budget of $159.34 million, with 87% from property taxes and 10% from state aid. FY26 revenues are estimated to exceed budget by $2.9 million due to higher property taxes, conveyance fees, and building permits. No use of opening cash is included.
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Library Services: Director Gabe Rizo presented the FY27 library budget with a total increase of $222,340, primarily for personnel and capital projects (Wilson Branch roof replacement using bequest funds). The general fund increase is $77,690. The library highlighted its history of innovation, current services (including Libby and Hoopla digital platforms), and the Wilson Branch tutoring program. Councilors asked about digital hold times and cost shifts; the director noted that databases are monitored for usage and that Hoopla provides instant access.
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Public Works: Director Mark Gusens presented the FY27 proposed general fund budget increase of $376,430 (4.5%), mainly for personnel and maintenance. The department maintains 155 lane miles of roads, 86 miles of sidewalks, 27 athletic fields, 855 acres of parks, and 26 major buildings. FY26 expenditures are expected to be under budget by $233,590 due to personnel savings. Councilors praised the department’s work and asked about coordination with the Board of Education on facilities; the director explained that larger capital projects are coordinated through the Public Building Commission.
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Landfill Enterprise Fund: The landfill closure and post-closure work is nearing completion. FY27 revenue includes a $128,000 retainage from a state grant, fully depleting the $2 million grant. The retained earnings balance is estimated at $19.4 million at end of FY27, sufficient for ongoing monitoring and maintenance (estimated $400,000 annually). Wetlands remediation using natural filtration is ongoing. Councilors noted the fund’s long-term sustainability.
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Residential Transfer Station Enterprise Fund: The facility serves Windsor and Bloomfield residents. FY27 proposes to continue current services with expected intake of 450 tons of MSW and 900 tons of bulky waste. Due to vendor price increases, the fund expects a net loss in FY26; the proposed budget recommends fee increases for permits, brush, and bulky waste. The town will join the state’s extended producer responsibility programs for tires and propane cylinders, making those items free for residents. Councilors asked about resident verification and the “take it or leave it” reuse area.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken on the proposed budgets during this hearing; the council will continue deliberations and may request additional information.
- The meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote (7-0) after completing all scheduled presentations.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Hi. Good evening. Gary or Mr. Susa, I cannot see the I don't have room view for some reason. Excellent. Thank you so much. So as it stands, um to do just waiting for one more counselor to join, and we can begin because we will have a quorum. We have five. Yeah, we have May. I'm here. All right. I didn't see you there, Counselor King was waiting for. It's okay. My connection's a little weird, so I'm not gonna be on camera for a few minutes. Oh hi darling. All right, and so uh Deputy Mayor, have you heard from any others from yes, Counselor Naeem is on her way. Uh we're trying to get uh counselor armstrong, she's on as an attendee. We're trying to get her promoted to a um council Naeem is now on as attendee as well online. All right, thank you. All right, so we'll go ahead and we'll begin. Um thank you everyone for your patience. Welcome to our budget hearing for April 7th. This evening we will begin reviewing the Board of Education, followed by revenues, library public works, landfill enterprise, resident transfer station enterprise, and those will be the departments that we will review this evening. So with that being said, I would invite the board of education to uh step forward. I will share while they are doing that uh to the counselors for our budget proceedings. The format that we will utilize for questions will be in the same format as our council communications. So I'll begin on one end, counselor Durant, and then we'll move to Counselor King and we'll go back and forth. Do ask that uh questions be no more than two questions at a time. Everyone will have ample time to ask all of their questions, but want to give everybody an opportunity to get their questions out. And then from there, we'll go back for another round if that is necessary. As I am not physically in the room, um counts deputy mayor will ask that you assist if there are hands that I'm unable to see from where I am. Absolutely. Thank you. And a warm warm welcome to Dr. Noha Abdel Haiti. Congratulations. Uh, we are excited uh that you will be our superintendent. So really really looking forward to working with you as the entire council is. Um counselors would also add that your questions this evening, please direct your questions to Dr. Haiti, Superintendent Haiti, and then from there, she will determine which one of her staff members, or if she permits a uh the board president or a board member to respond. All right, thank you. All right, thank you, Mayor Madame Nouchette. Um welcome everybody, thank you for having us. We are very excited to share our um board of education approved budget tonight. Um I will do this over three different phases, so I will get to the numbers, I promise. Um, I just want to kind of take you through who we serve, what we do, what we've been doing, um, and then the ask that we have as far as numbers are concerned. Um, so we have a little over um 3100 almost 3200 students at Windsor Public Schools. Um, and this is the breakdown of our demographics. So 42% black, 25% Hispanic, about 20% white, 3.2 Asian, and we have 9.4% of our population, two or more races.
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