FY 2026 Budget Referendum - Wednesday, May 28, 2025

FY 2026 Budget Referendum Results

The Town wishes to clarify how the threshold for success in budget referenda is interpreted under Bloomfield’s Town Charter, especially in light of the 2006 court ruling by Judge Alan H. Nevas.

The court’s oral decision in Hollander v. Schulman focused solely on Section 310 of the Charter, which deals with bond referenda, not budget referenda, and made clear that Section 310 must be interpreted on its own, without reference to Section 906. The court emphasized that if the Charter Revision Commission had intended to align Section 310’s voting requirements with other sections like 906, it could have done so but chose not to. Under the court’s interpretation, Section 310 requires a majority of “yes” votes, and that majority must exceed the number of “no” votes by at least 15% of the number of people who actually voted in the referendum.

In contrast, Section 906, which governs budget referenda, sets a stricter standard. For a budget referendum to succeed, a majority of voters must vote against the budget, and the number of those “no” votes must equal at least 15% of all registered voters in town, not just those who vote. This structural difference was acknowledged by the court, which declined to apply the more stringent Section 906 standard to Section 310 referenda.

As of the referendum date, May 28, 2025, Bloomfield has 

15,305 registered voters. Fifteen percent of that total is 2,296. This means a budget referendum will only succeed if more than 

2,296 people vote, a majority vote against the budget, and at least 2,296 of those votes are “no” votes. If fewer than 2,296 people vote in total, or if fewer than 2,296 vote “no,” the referendum fails, and the budget is approved. Likewise, if more than 2,296 people vote but the majority support the budget, the budget is also approved.

Legal Notice Warning Town of Bloomfield Notice of Budget Vote

Per Section 906 of the Bloomfield Town Charter, a Budget Referendum has been scheduled in regards to the FY 2026 Adopted Budget. For purposes of this section, the eligible electors shall be those residents of the Town of Bloomfield who are registered to vote with the Registrar of Voters and those individuals who own real property in the Town of Bloomfield valued at more than $1,000.

Real Property Owners must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• A United States Citizen

Town of Bloomfield Budget Referendum Official Ballot  - See Ballot

Question

“SHALL THE BUDGET, AS ADOPTED BY THE TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD TOWN COUNCIL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026, WHICH INCLUDES THE TOWN OPERATIONS BUDGET OF $59,297,377, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OPERATIONS BUDGET OF $54,321,894, AND THE TRANSFER TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRUST FUND FROM THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,000,000, FOR A TOTAL BUDGET OF $117,619,271, BE APPROVED?”