FAIRFIELD — Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale released a proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget of $402.9 million Friday, Feb. 20, that represents a 4.28% increase in the gross tax levy for the Town of Fairfield after factoring in non-tax revenue, credits, and reserves.
Vitale acknowledged the impact of the town’s recent five-year property revaluation on this year’s property tax increase. With values of residential properties increasing at a higher rate than commercial properties, this shift will result in residential property owners assuming a greater share of the tax burden. The Grand List has increased from $13.9 billion to $22.1 billion. If the First Selectperson’s proposed FY27 budget is approved, the mill-rate is anticipated to decrease from 0.028 to 0.019.
“We understand that many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs,” Vitale said. “Throughout the budget process we were very cognizant that both the revaluation and increases to the operating budget would affect the amount of taxes residents will be paying next year. Working to minimize the tax increase, we elected to use funding from prior year budget surpluses to help minimize the tax burden for our residents.”
The budget is an increase of 4.97% in expenses over the prior year. The $243,944,528 education budget makes up 60.53% of the total town spending plan.
“This budget protects the services our community relies upon, maintains our long-term investment in Fairfield’s infrastructure and advances the modernization of public safety and town operations,” Vitale said. “Our town employees, public safety officers and teachers are among our most valuable assets and this budget continues to support our contractual obligations to our staff.”
The Board of Selectpersons will begin budget hearings at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Her plan will go before the Board of Selectpersons, with three days of hearings that will continue until Thursday, weather permitting. The meetings will be held in the First Floor Conference Room in Sullivan Independence Hall and will be available to view via FairTV here.
Vitale’s budget presentation will outline key priorities for the coming fiscal year, including:
- Support for public safety: the proposed budget includes an allocation to support the Police Department’s new AXON contract, an investment in state-of-the-art technology. The budget also has funding for necessary replacements and upgrades for Fire Department equipment.
- Support of town infrastructure: the addition of a new Geographic Information System (GIS) analyst position, an asset to multiple departments, will inform land-use decisions, infrastructure projects, and planning.
- Strategic investments in community services: the proposed budget supports an increase in recreational opportunities for seniors and continues to fund outside agencies such as the Pequot Library, Operation Hope, and others that provide valuable services for Fairfield residents.
Significant reductions to capital outlay requests were made in this budget cycle, along with a focus on streamlining town operations, reducing risk, and enhancing fiscal oversight. The proposed budget supports the continued implementation of the Purchasing Department’s new eProcurement and Digital Contract Management Portal while the IT Department continues to improve the resilience of technology infrastructure. Contractual obligations such as salaries, health insurance and retirement benefits continue to be the Town’s largest budget drivers. Contract negotiations are underway with four bargaining units, and wage adjustments for members of these units are currently being held in reserve.
Residents are encouraged to follow the budget process and participate in upcoming public meetings and hearings. The annual budget vote meeting will be held at the Representative Town Meeting on Monday, May 4. The complete schedule is available here. Town budget documents are available here.
