A referendum is being held today in Lyme and Old Lyme on the Region 18 proposed 2019-20 budget. Voting takes place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting locations for Lyme and Old Lyme are respectively Lyme Town Hall and Cross Lane Firehouse.
Residents of Old Lyme and Lyme age 18 and over are eligible to vote in the referendum, which in order to pass, must achieve a simple majority of the combined vote of both towns.
The result will be published on LymeLine.com as soon as it is available this evening.
On Feb. 6, the Region 18 BOE approved a $35,084,758 budget for the 2019-2020 school year. This proposed budget represents a 2.29 percent increase over the prior year.
The main program improvements are the Pre-K expansion, 1:1 technology expansion for K-12, updated Next Generation Science Standards materials and enhanced security.
The major facility projects in the Operating Budget are the replacement of three tennis courts ($225K), classrooms for the Pre-K expansion ($180K), partial redesign and carpet replacement of the Middle School Media Center ($45K), and carpet replacement in Lyme Consolidated School ($12K.) These projects total $462K. The proposed installation of a solar electric system, which is part of the non-operating budget, will be funded by the purchase of a power agreement.
Certified salaries at $14.0 million comprise 39.9 percent of the budget while non-certified salaries at $3.5 million account for 9.9 percent.