Ledyard - The Town Council will host a public hearing on the 2013-14 budget tonight at 7 in the Ledyard High School auditorium.

The $50.1 million proposal is 2 percent more than this year's $49.16 million spending plan. The tax rate, though it will not officially be set until June after the budget has passed at referendum, is slated to increase slightly less than three-tenths of a mill to 28.22 mills - the first tax increase for the property owners in four years.

At the finance committee's recommendation, the town council voted to approve the budget earlier this month. The general government operating budget stands at $20,442,567 - a 4.2 percent increase - and the Board of Education budget stands at $29.7 million - an increase of less than 1 percent.

Tonight's hearing will be the first of several public meetings as the town heads to referendum on May 21. A town meeting on a proposed $6.7 million new police station will be held May 7, and another town meeting on both the budget and the police station and school building projects will be held May 20.

The agenda for that second meeting - and possibly the overall discussion on the budget - might change after Wednesday night's town council meeting. Superintendent Mike Graner has requested that the council rescind its resolution approving a $45 million middle school renovation project as the Board of Education tries to find ways to decrease the cost to comply with state grant requirements.

The formerly $51 million total in building projects would have been a historic appropriation, according to Mayor John Rodolico.

He and Graner have said they crafted their budgets to have small increases knowing that they would soon be asking voters to also approve the building projects.

Though the middle school renovation project won't be tabled for good, a new proposal will not be completed in time to make the ballot.

Town Council Chairwoman Linda Davis said she doesn't anticipate much backlash at the tax rate increase, though it represents the first in four years. Ledyard's tax rate has historically been high compared to neighboring towns due to a lack of commercial property.

"Certainly we don't like to see taxes go up, [but] we haven't had a tax increase in four years, and it is a slight one," she said.

"It's tough economic times," Davis added, "but I hope that folks will agree that what we're asking is a reasonable increase."

a.isaacs@theday.com