'Rainy Day Fund' Will Not be Used to Offset 7.4% Budget Increase LYME/OLD LYME–Registered voters and qualified taxpayers on Tuesday will be asked to weigh in on the proposed $39.7 million budget for the regional school district serving Lyme and Old Lyme. The District 18 Board of Education earlier this month voted unanimously to hold a District Budget Meeting this … [Read more...] about Referendum on Lyme-Old Lyme Schools’ Budget to be Held Tuesday, Budget Meeting Monday
Town Hall
Old Lyme Town Budget Hearing Uncontentious Despite Proposed 7.8% Increase Over Current Spending
OLD LYME – Board of Finance Chairman Bennett J. Bernblum on Monday presented the proposed $45.39 million budget along with its potential implications on taxes in this and coming years. The proposed $45.39 million 2025-26 budget – which includes town operations and capital expenses as well as the town’s share of the regional Lyme-Old Lyme school district – represents an … [Read more...] about Old Lyme Town Budget Hearing Uncontentious Despite Proposed 7.8% Increase Over Current Spending
Lyme Board of Finance Proposes $11.37 Million Budget With No Tax Increase
Despite Increase in D18 Spending, Budget Down Over $1M Primarily due to Reduction in Capital Costs LYME – The Board of Finance is predicting a flat tax rate after they unanimously approved a proposed $11.37 million 2025-26 spending plan that will go to a public hearing next month. The budget proposal is down $1.02 million, or 8.2%, from the current … [Read more...] about Lyme Board of Finance Proposes $11.37 Million Budget With No Tax Increase
Lyme First Selectman David Lahm Will Not Seek Reelection; No Candidates Announced Yet
LYME – Newly unaffiliated First Selectman David Lahm will not be seeking reelection in November. “I'll be 66 years old when I leave office,” he said from the Town Hall Tuesday night. “I've been a volunteer in one way or another in this town, and in the service of our country in the military, since 1975. It's time for my wife and I to build some time for us.” Lahm … [Read more...] about Lyme First Selectman David Lahm Will Not Seek Reelection; No Candidates Announced Yet
Old Lyme Selectmen Place Halls Road Improvements Committee on Hold
OLD LYME – The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen on Monday pressed pause on the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC). Selectmen at their regular meeting agreed to the move in the wake of months of controversy involving the future of a short span of road lined with outdated strip malls set between two highway interchanges. At the center of the dispute was a proposal from the … [Read more...] about Old Lyme Selectmen Place Halls Road Improvements Committee on Hold
Scientists Continue Fight Against Hydrilla Scourge; Presentation in Lyme on Latest Efforts
LYME – Experts on the Connecticut River hydrilla will be at the Town Hall on Wednesday to talk about plans to include Hamburg Cove in a growing, multi-year effort to reduce and control the highly invasive water weed. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m., according to a public notice filed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). A question and answer period will … [Read more...] about Scientists Continue Fight Against Hydrilla Scourge; Presentation in Lyme on Latest Efforts
Op-Ed: After HROD Defeat, Some Thoughts on Improving Old Lyme’s Approach to Managing Major Projects Going Forward
Editor’s Note: We originally published this op-ed submitted by Howard Margules of Old Lyme on July 12, 2024. After the 4-1 defeat of the Halls Road Overlay District proposal by Old Lyme's Zoning Commission last Monday (April 14), several members of the Halls Road Improvement Committee, including its former chair Edie Twining—who resigned yesterday—suggested republishing it as a … [Read more...] about Op-Ed: After HROD Defeat, Some Thoughts on Improving Old Lyme’s Approach to Managing Major Projects Going Forward
BREAKING NEWS: Halls Road Improvements Committee Chair Edie Twining Resigns
OLD LYME — This afternoon, Halls Road Improvements Committee Chairwoman Edie Twining submitted her resignation in a letter to Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker. Twining's resignation from the volunteer position is with immediate effect. The text of Twining's letter is as follows: "Dear Martha, It is with a heavy heart that I resign as a member and … [Read more...] about BREAKING NEWS: Halls Road Improvements Committee Chair Edie Twining Resigns
Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Selectman Thanks Board of Finance for ‘a Job Well Done’ at Tuesday’s Budget Meeting
Editor's Note: This letter was published April 17, after the Board of Finance meeting held April 15. To the Editor: I’d like to thank the Old Lyme Board of Finance for a job well done, completing work begun jointly with the Board of Selectmen in December to produce a prudent, fiscally-sound budget. Through good compromise and the identification of additional … [Read more...] about Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Selectman Thanks Board of Finance for ‘a Job Well Done’ at Tuesday’s Budget Meeting
After Much Disagreement, Old Lyme Board of Finance Decides to Take $800K From ‘Rainy Day Fund’ to Offset Tax Increase
OLD LYME – With many residents concerned by the recent revaluation that hiked the value of taxable property in town by more than 60%, the Old Lyme Board of Finance on Wednesday evening agreed to use $800,000 from the town’s 'Rainy Day Fund' to help mitigate the impact to taxpayers of a proposed $45.39 million 2025-26 spending plan. The proposed budget – which includes … [Read more...] about After Much Disagreement, Old Lyme Board of Finance Decides to Take $800K From ‘Rainy Day Fund’ to Offset Tax Increase
Old Lyme Zoning Commission Resoundingly Rejects Overlay Proposal, Calls for Cooperation in Determining Future of Halls Road
Controlling Destiny ... and Density OLD LYME – Change is going to come to Halls Road, but the Zoning Commission on Monday said now is not the time. In front of an audience of around 80, the commission voted 4-1 to deny a proposal created by the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) for an Overlay District to allow apartments and condominiums to be built above, or … [Read more...] about Old Lyme Zoning Commission Resoundingly Rejects Overlay Proposal, Calls for Cooperation in Determining Future of Halls Road
News in Brief: Old Lyme Zoning Commission Rejects Controversial Overlay Proposal
OLD LYME – The Zoning Commission on Monday evening voted decisively to quash a proposal intended by its proponents to transform Halls Road over time into a livable, walkable, 'shoppable' town center. Members of the commission credited vocal opposition evident in the “No Way Overlay” movement and called for engagement from local land use officials and residents in … [Read more...] about News in Brief: Old Lyme Zoning Commission Rejects Controversial Overlay Proposal
Letter to the Editor: Are Old Lyme Residents Being Overtaxed? Demand Answers to Why Town Surplus Fund is so High, How it Impacts Tax Rates
To the Editor:Are the residents of Old Lyme being overtaxed? I would bet that most residents probably believe that our property taxes are relatively reasonable compared to other CT towns, but is that really correct? To try and find an answer to that question I Took a look at the town budget.Reviewing the budget, the first thing that jumps out is that our “Unassigned Surplus … [Read more...] about Letter to the Editor: Are Old Lyme Residents Being Overtaxed? Demand Answers to Why Town Surplus Fund is so High, How it Impacts Tax Rates
Letter to the Editor: First Selectwoman Not Withdrawing Halls Rd. Overlay District Application, Review Process to Continue Per State Regulations at Zoning Meeting Tonight
To the Editor: An Open Letter to the Residents and Taxpayers of Old Lyme: During the past few weeks, hundreds of residents have expressed their opinions, both positive and negative, to the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Commission regarding the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) application. As interest in the application has grown, so … [Read more...] about Letter to the Editor: First Selectwoman Not Withdrawing Halls Rd. Overlay District Application, Review Process to Continue Per State Regulations at Zoning Meeting Tonight
Halls Rd. Overlay District Proposal Faces Uncertain Future in Old Lyme, Overflow Crowd Overwhelmingly Opposes Project
OLD LYME—About 550 people converged in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium Wednesday evening, many of them armed with “Vote No” signs and deeply-held ideals about preserving their small town’s character, as they fought a plan to bring apartments and condominiums to Halls Road. The Old Lyme Zoning Commission voted unanimously to close the public hearing on the … [Read more...] about Halls Rd. Overlay District Proposal Faces Uncertain Future in Old Lyme, Overflow Crowd Overwhelmingly Opposes Project