STRATFORD – Newly elected Mayor David Chess last week presented his $278,054,170 fiscal year 2027 operating budget to the Town Council. The spending plan, which is a 4.5% increase over the current spending plan, would lower the mill rate by 29.67% to 28.27 mills.
In an open letter to Stratford residents, the mayor pitched the proposed budget as a way to keep his campaign promise to address three priorities.
“When I knocked on your doors during the campaign, I wasn’t just asking for your vote,” he wrote. “I was listening. I heard about taxes that keep going up, schools you want to be proud of again, a downtown full of potential but not enough life, and a town that has drifted apart.
I heard you. And in my first nearly 100 days, we got to work.”
He said his administration restructured Town Hall, found savings, launched neighborhood meetings in every district, and got the Army Engine Plant redevelopment moving.
“This budget continues that work,” he continued. It is focused on three priorities:
- Growing our economy so we can ease the tax burden on property owners
- Investing in our children’s education, and
- Rebuilding the sense of community that makes Stratford home.”
In his letter, Mayor Chess addressed the issue regarding the 2025 Grand List and how it affects the proposed budget.
“Following last year’s revaluation, Stratford’s Net Grand List — the total taxable assessed value of property in our town — stands at $8,044,562,549 as of October 1, 2025, an increase of 50% from the prior 2024,” he wrote. “It is important to note that residential values increased, on average, by almost 80%, since Stratford’s last revaluation in 2019, while commercial property values increased by only 22%.
“This shifts more of the tax burden to our residential property owners, which is why my administration is laser-focused on business development and growing our commercial Grand List. Whether residents see their property values increase or not, the bottom line is that we need to expand our commercial tax base to reduce homeowners’ tax burden.”
The Mayor’s recommended FY 2027 operating budget is $12,008,037 more than the 2026 budget, which is $266,046,133. “I directed every department to be conservative in their requests, and this budget reflects that discipline while making important investments in our future and working to build a solid financial foundation,” he wrote. “Not all of what we spend comes from your property tax bill. We also receive revenue from state aid, grants, departmental fees, and other sources.”
Total revenue from other sources for FY 2027 is projected at $58,078,528, a decrease of $837,191 or 1.44% from the prior year.
The proposed budget includes:
- A decrease in the sewer tax for residential property owners from $569 to $525 that shifts a larger share to commercial owners
- Expanded tax relief programs for veterans, seniors, and residents with disabilities
- Increased staffing, allowing the town to reduce overtime in multiple departments
- Additional full-time staff dedicated to grant writing, which further reduces the tax burden on residents.
- Investments in new technology to help the town’s teams work more efficiently.
- A new approach to the Emergency Medical Services. team that will, this year for the first time, enable them to become self-funded
The budget also includes a 4.99% increase for students, teachers, and support staff. “Working with our Board of Education and school leadership, we are focused on supporting our teachers, improving our school buildings, and ensuring every Stratford student has a clear path forward,” Chess wrote.
The Town maintains a reserve fund to protect against unexpected costs. As of June 30, 2025, that total balance stands at $24.7 million, or 9.6% of the FY25 budgetary expenditures.
The budget fully funds annual required pension contribution of $6.7 million across the Town’s defined benefit pension plans.
Debt retirement as a share of General Fund expenditures is 12.6%.
This budget includes $500,000 toward our retiree health benefit obligations. This fund has received minimal contributions in the past.
