OLD LYME — The Town of Old Lyme will hold its Annual Town Budget Meeting in person only on Monday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Meeting Hall at the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall at 52 Lyme St.
The following agenda items will be discussed:
- To adopt the Budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 as recommended by the Board of Finance.
- To adopt a proposal that taxes in the Town of Old Lyme on Real Estate and Personal Property shall be paid in two (2) semi-annual installments, the first payment being due on July 1, 2021 and the second payment on January 1, 2022. Any tax in these categories under $100.00 will be due in full in one payment in July, 2021, as are vehicles on Supplemental List due in July, 2022 in one payment.
A vote will likely then be taken to approve both items.
jane cable says
The decision by a majority of Old Lyme’s selectmen to offer no remote or safe voting on the Town budget severely restricts who will be able to vote. Taxpayers who wish to protect their health will be reluctant to attend an indoor meeting. The Lyme selectmen recognized the difficulty and scheduled the meeting in daylight outdoors.
Once again, the Republican selectmen exhibit a narrow point of view, showing no intent to accommodate all of the Town’s citizens. We are better than that.
Thomas D. Gotowka says
Thank you for raising the issue. I assume that voting will be done, like the BOE referendum, by paper ballots; and if voters availed themselves of the opportunity to review the materials in advance, each would have enough information to make a voting decision without crowding into the Meeting Hall. That said, can you vote in the public area outside the Meeting Hall without attending the presentation?
Is there any way to clarify and publish that answer in advance of the meeting?
However, the budget presentation and any discussion could have certainly been done in advance, remotely; then, only requiring a walk through for the referendum.
I realize that some recommendations regarding masks have just recently been relaxed by the CDC, and effective on the 19th; but the recommended inter-personal distancing should be accommodated.
It just seems that we could have easily adopted the method used by the BOE.