Stonington -- The Board of Finance will hold a public hearing on the proposed $77.3 million budget for 2022-23 and its 0.19-mill tax rate increase on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Stonington High School.

The board will then meet after the hearing to discuss and make any changes to the budget before sending it to a referendum vote this spring.

The proposed $77.3 million budget calls for a $4.2 million or 5.75% increase. That would have increased the tax rate by about 0.5 mill. But the the finance board used $1 million of the town's $18.1 million unassigned fund balance to partially offset the increases in the tax rate. This has resulted in a tax rate that would now increase from the current 23.85 mills to 24.04. 

The proposed $33.1 million general government and debt budget calls for an increase of $1.1 million or 3.6% while the proposed $38.9 school budget calls for a $648,951 or 1.69% increase. The proposed $5.1 million capital improvement budget contains the largest increase, $2.3 million or 86.1%.

Among the major proposed capital expenditures are $900,000 to pave roads, $900,000 for air conditioning upgrades at Stonington Middle School, $207,000 for new sidewalks, $470,000 for highway department equipment, $400,000 for heating, air conditioning and ventilation improvements at Town Hall and the Human Services building, $92,252 to rebuild the tennis courts at the high school, $185,000 to buy four new police cruisers, $373,000 for school system computers and $250,000 to repair the roof at the high school.