[UPDATE] How Does Fairfield's Tax Rate Compare?

The 2011-2012 budget may be set in stone, but Nov. 8 marks a new opportunity for Fairfield residents to influence the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget and mill rate by voting for the representatives they deem best suited to lead the town.

With that in mind, here's some food for thought.

The following table provides a comparison between Fairfield and other towns included in the State Department of Education’s District Reference Group (DRG) Two. DRGs -- formerly Education Reference Groups – group together towns and cities with populations defined by similar socioeconomic qualities (i.e. median incomes, occupations, and educational backgrounds) according to the educational advocacy group Connecticut Voices for Children.  

The populations for each municipality's listed reflect the most recent population estimate statistics (2010) according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. 

Budget and mill rate information was found on each town or city's Web page.  Several towns did not have final, approved versions of their budgets posted online, as described in the table.

Stay tuned during the coming week for departmental budget comparisons between Fairfield and some of the DRG Two towns.

Town/City Population FY 2012 Budget FY 2012 Mill Rate Mill Rate Difference from FY 2011 Type of Government

Avon 18,145 $74,584,980 25.04 mills .6 mill increase Town Manager with Town Council Yes Brookfield 16,470 $55,314,000 19.94 mills .47 mill increase Board of Selectmen Yes Cheshire 29,260 $97,723,450 26.85 mills .35 mill increase Town Manager with Town Council No Fairfield 59,413 $263,073,943 22.47 mills 3.2 mill increase Selectmen with Representative Town Meeting No Farmington 25,368 $87,622,086 21.27 mills 0.81 mill increase Town Manager with Town Council Yes Glastonbury 34,467 $137,864,917 30.05 mills 0.4 mill increase Town Manager with Town Council No Granby 11,292 Approved budget not online     Board of Selectman Yes Greenwich 61,119 $358,057,524 10.11 mills 1.24 mill increase Selectmen with Representative Town Meeting No Guilford 22,411 Approved budget not online     Board of Selectmen Yes Madison 18,266 $70,721,039 19.43 mills 0.13 mill increase Board of Selectmen Yes Monroe 19,466 $77,562,836 29.03 mills .77 mill increase First Selectman with Town Council Yes New Fairfield 13,871 Approved budget not online     Board of Selectmen Yes Newtown 27,605 $105,555,075 24.37 mills .37 mill increase Board of Selectmen with Legislative Council Yes Orange 13,968 Approved budget not online     Board of Selectmen Yes Simbsury 23,507 Approved budget not online     Board of Selectmen Yes South Windsor 25,751 Approved budget not online     Town Manager with Town Council No Trumbull 36,062 Approved budget not online     First Selectman with Town Council No West Hartford 63,362 $226,930,262 39.44 1.06 mill increase Town Manager with Town Council No Woodbridge 8,989 $42,373,913 33.08 0.03 mill decrease Board of Selectmen Yes