Montville residents approve $15.5M school air-conditioning plan
Dec. 12—MONTVILLE — Voters authorized the town at Tuesday's referendum to borrow $15.5 million to pay to install air conditioning in five of the town's six schools.
The measure was approved by a vote of 367-245. A little more than 5% percent of the town 's 10,766 registered voters cast ballots.
The money will be borrowed in two installments and paid back over 20 years.
The town had to hold the referendum since the amount it was asking for was more than 5% of the total amount of taxes it collects in a year.
It was a slow day at the polls with a little boost in voters coming around 5 p.m., moderators said.
As people filed out of Mohegan Elementary School, the Town Hall gymnasium and Montville Community Center on Tuesday afternoon, the proposal appeared to be tightly contested with voters split over whether to approve it.
Dawn Penman, former Mohegan Elementary School teacher and a District 2 voter, said she was in favor of borrowing the money because she was familiar with how high temperatures in the building's classrooms can get.
"I think that it should have been on the ballot in November," District 2 voter Robert Schober said as he left the elementary school. "They would have had more people out to vote."
"I voted not in favor only because of the lack of information," he said, citing rumors of a state grant as being the only way the town has addressed how it would pay back the $15.5 million.
"From what I understand, the argument against seems rather short-sighted," said District 3 voter Christian Dominguez as he exited the Town Hall gymnasium Tuesday night.
Dominguez called his decision to vote yes "a no-brainer," explaining that while the lack of air conditioning in the schools might have been okay back when he was a student, the effects of global warming on the classroom temperatures combined with new state legislation regulating indoor air quality has necessitated the project.
"With climate change, the temps are going to get warmer and warmer," he said.
"I think the idea of worrying about our taxes right now is short-sighted," Dominguez said. "I just figured, why not get on top of it now. We have a chance to get a grant while it's still there. Without a grant, we would be burdened with the whole cost."
Though the town will now apply for five individual HVAC grants, one for each school building, approval is not guaranteed. The town could end up shouldering $4.4 million to $15.3 million of the project depending on how many of the grants are approved.
The town will submit applications for those grants to the state by Dec. 31.
If the the town does not receive any HVAC grants, the tax increases over 20 years would vary from a low of 0.14 mills at the end of the project to a high of 0.84 mills in 2025-26.
If the the town receives all five HVAC grants, the tax increase in mills would vary over the 20 years from 0.06 mills to a high of 0.24 mills 2025-26.
A homeowner with a house assessed at the median value of $210,000 will see their taxes increase an average of $35.14 a year over 20 years if the town receives the maximal amount of state grants to an average of $123.64 a year if it receives no state funding.
