Town of Marlborough, Connecticut

May 7, 2020

Citizens of Marlborough,

On April 26, 2020 my office proposed a budget to the Board of Finance (BOF) that reflected a mill rate decrease of (0.63) and fully funded the road repair investments suggested by our consultant, the library grant, the AHM budget and firefighter recognition. At the April 29, 2020 BOF meeting, the BOF decided to cut the town operations budget proposal by $70,730 and the local Board of Education budget (BOE) by $100,128. These demands were a surprise to many as the BOE and the Board of Selectmen (BOS) had made cuts from the original departmental requests at the suggestion of the BOF. At the May 5, 2020 BOS meeting, the BOS unanimously agreed to sacrifice road materials, payroll, library grant, AHM grant and firefighter recognition in an effort to meet the demand of the BOF. The capital spending plan is unchanged at this time. Please note that the BOS unanimously agreed that we would prefer, if cuts are necessary for FY21, that they be made from additions to capital reserves and not from operations. The BOF was made aware of the BOS preference to make cuts, if any, from town additions to capital reserves rather than town operations. The summary of cuts to operations as well as the operations (revised) and capital spending (unchanged) plans are available here.

Please forward your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and feel free to cc me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Greg Lowrey
First Selectman, Marlborough

Preliminary Budget Document

20 21 Capital Budget Document

BOS Budget Reduction  20 21 Document

Work will commence on Monday , May 11th, and will last 4 – to 6 weeks. Work will commence on the Playscape side. Use of the basketball court may be interrupted during certain periods of construction. Hours of construction work are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, & 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

There will be a Presidential Preference Primary as well as a State/Federal Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Click here for detailed deadline information to include the date to switch parties (Monday, May 11, 2020). 

Click here 

May 1, 2020

Dear Residents of Marlborough,

We have all been impacted by COVID-19, and the future remains uncertain. The longer the economic shutdown continues, the greater the impact on municipalities, businesses, and individuals. Many families in our community are struggling during this unprecedented time of uncertainty. The economic projections are bleak, at best. The Board of Finance has been very sensitive to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic when analyzing budget requests.

It is important to acknowledge that the budgets presented in early March were created when the economy was strong. The Board of Finance carefully analyzed and discussed budget options, the goal being to provide a budget that will allow for the continuation of services while providing some relief to taxpayers. In addition, we understand that the next fiscal year will be equally, if not more, difficult. We have strived to approve a budget that will help position the Town favorably next year.
The budget that the Board of Finance voted to present to the public reduces the mill rate by 0.96, making the new mill rate 36.29. We were able to achieve this, in part, due to debt retirement and the expansion of the commercial tax base. We also voted for a 2% cap on operating budget increases for the local Board of Education and the Town.
At the Regular Board of Finance meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, the Board will approve a 2020-2021 budget for Marlborough, consistent with Governor Lamont’s executive order 7I. As you are aware, Executive Order 7I suspends in-person voting and eliminates the traditional annual meeting and budget referenda.
As a result, the Marlborough Board of Finance has set up a special email address for public comments. There will be a video/tele conference public hearing on the budget on May 13, 2020 at 6:00 PM, to explain the budget, receive public comments, and address residents’ questions and concerns. The Board of Finance will hold its regular meeting immediately following the public hearing, at which time it will pass a budget.
Information regarding how to join the public hearing will be posted on the Town web page prior to the meeting.
Please submit your comments on the Town of Marlborough budget to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., no later than midnight 5/9/2020.

Sincerely,
Susan Leser, Chairman
Marlborough Board of Finance

2020-2021 Budget Proposal 

There has been an uptick in scamming emails, especially one particularly nasty one asking for blackmail payments of $2,000 in bitcoin. The email starts with a password a recipient uses. Probably farmed from a compromised website the recipient uses or used in the past, then goes on to describe the consequences of the webcam movie they claim to have made if you don't send the money right away. 

Please be warned that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES reset passwords via a link in any email received from ANYONE. Only change passwords by directly visiting a known company website. Email is NOT a medium for changing passwords. It is very easy to make an email look official and real.

The Town has been awarded funds for the South Main Street Pavement Rehabilitation Phase II Project. The project construction area starts at 93 South Main Street and ends at 163 South Main Street. Click here for full text of the letter.

To view plan set for the South Main Street Pavement Rehabilitation Phase II Project, click here.

In these unprecedented times filled with daily changes and economic uncertainty – the food bank is here for anyone in the community that needs assistance in stretching their food budget. No questions asked – no paperwork required. For more information from the Food Bank, click here.