Old Lyme Selectmen Send $48.1 Million Budget to Finance Board

OLD LYME, CT – The Board of Selectmen this week approved a proposed $48.1 million 2026-27 budget so the Board of Finance can begin a line-by-line review that will last through March. 

The selectmen’s proposed budget comes in at $48.1 million, an increase of $2.7 million, or 6.0%, over current spending.

Education spending, which accounts for more than half of the proposed increase, was projected at $32.97 million based on the district budget recommended by Lyme-Old Lyme Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser. The local share is up $1.5 million, or 4.6%, from current spending. 

Capital spending is $734,355, an increase of $66,730, or 10.0%. 

General government spending is currently estimated at $11.6 million, a decrease of $1.7 million, or 12.6%, from the current year. But salaries for town positions – estimated by Finance Director Anita Mancini at $2.9 million and incorporated into the total $48.1 million proposal – have not yet been allocated within departmental operating budgets. 

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said spending on salaries must be approved by the Salary Committee, which includes Mancini and several members of the finance board. Members will also review requests to add a police officer and a Public Works maintainer and make the tax assistant position full-time.

A new police position would bring the local department to seven officers once a vacancy is filled and a recruit graduates from the Connecticut Police Academy.

The department operates under the leadership of a Connecticut State Police resident trooper, with backup from the Troop F barracks in Westbrook. 

Shoemaker said having an additional local officer would help address staffing gaps, particularly during busy summer months and overnight shifts.

“For the town’s safety, I think it’s something we should consider,” she said. 

Mancini on Friday said the town is estimating the police officer position could cost up to $101,365 in salary and benefits, with the maintainer position coming in around $65,472. The amounts depend on the level of experience of the new hires and finalized health insurance figures.

Salary considerations are just one factor contributing to a budget planning process that remains largely in flux, according to Shoemaker. She said the budget document going to the finance board reflects estimates in several areas because key information has not yet been finalized.

“This budget is fluid,” she said. 

Employee benefits remain an unpredictable expense at this point in the budget season. Insurance spending is currently projected to rise to $1.26 million, up $107,791, or 9.4%, from the current year. Health, dental and vision coverage accounts for the largest share of that increase. 

The finance board will review the selectmen’s proposed budget with department heads in special budget meetings through March before finalizing a proposal to be presented at a public hearing on April 20. The spending plan will go to voters May 18.

The regional Board of Education on Wednesday approved Neviaser’s $41.5 million 2026-27 spending plan for Lyme and Old Lyme. The proposed district budget represents a 4.61% increase driven largely by salary, health insurance and unanticipated special education costs. It will go to voters in both towns at a referendum on May 5. 

Short-term Projects, Long-term Needs

Several boards and commissions have requested funding increases tied to specific projects.

The Rogers Lake Authority’s requested $57,350 budget reflects efforts to combat invasive species and expand water quality monitoring. The water sampling budget rose from $8,500 to $14,600.

“They’re very much focused on staying on top of hydrilla,” Shoemaker said, referring to a unique strain of the aquatic weed that is the subject of active prevention efforts along the Connecticut River through Massachusetts.

The Harbor Management Commission’s $33,924 proposed budget, representing an increase of $5,400, includes higher spending for marine patrols, shared services with Essex and a hydrographic survey of the town dock on Ferry Road that Shoemaker said is necessary for expansion plans covered by a grant from the Connecticut Port Authority. 

To help pay for sidewalks on the north side of Halls Road, the selectmen’s proposal includes $200,000 for engineering designs and expenses not covered by an $800,000 state Department of Transportation grant.

The spending plan also looks ahead with funding for several long-term projects, including plans for permanent restrooms at Sound View Beach. Shoemaker said the town has budgeted $25,000 for engineering designs and set aside $125,000 toward construction in a future budget year. The cost to build the restroom facility is projected at $375,000 to $400,000.

“It’s like saving for a fire engine,” she said. “You put money away over time.”

The selectmen’s budget also sets aside $455,000 toward the dredging of Hain’s Park. 

Shoemaker said town departments have worked to keep operating budgets lean in order to preserve funding for long-term needs that have been deferred in the past. 

“Do I expect all of these to go through? No. But can we divide them up and start to plan for them in the future? I think that’s our responsibility to the town,” she said.

Editor’s note: This report was updated with salary estimates for the requested police and public works positions.