Update from the First Selectman

Update from the First Selectman                                                                                 May 12, 2026

The Annual Budget Referendum will be held on Thursday, May 14, from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Fire Safety Complex.

While ballots were already printed to accommodate absentee ballots being available on May 5^th in the Town Clerk’s Office, as shared at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 4^th, the Town of Lebanon is slated to receive supplemental aid of an additional $224,914 for the upcoming fiscal year. This funding includes:

• $183,144 in supplemental education aid
• $41,770 in supplemental municipal aid

The additional state funding could reduce the proposed FY 2027 mill rate, which is currently set to be 22.7 mills. If the Board of Finance applies the additional revenue toward reducing the proposed property tax levy, the mill rate could decrease by approximately 0.2 of a mill.

At the May 19^th Board of Finance meeting, I will encourage the Board of Finance to use this additional state aid to reduce the proposed FY 2027 property tax levy in accordance with the intent of this legislation.

In Section 178 of the State budget, the Board of Finance can recommend to the Board of Selectmen to vote to reduce the mill rate even if the budget has passed at referendum.

For questions, please contact the Board of Finance Chair at [email protected] or my office at [email protected]

Sincerely,

Kathleen Smith

First Selectman