Greenwich board sets 10.125 mill tax rate, adds $6 million for CMS
Other Committee · Meeting of May 22, 2026
Greenwich finance board sets fiscal 2027 tax rate and adds $6 million to Central Middle School's contingency. The Board of Estimate and Taxation approved the 10.125 mill general fund rate 11-0 and, after a contentious 6-5 vote on an oversight condition proposed by Budget Committee chair Laura Erickson, unanimously approved $6 million more for the $112 million school project, whose contingency had fallen to $774,000. Building Committee chair Joe Rzepka told the board "we heard some news that was not very favorable to the job," disclosing a fresh building department concern over fire-suppression testing that could delay occupancy past the planned August 4 completion date.
The board also approved $953,410.64 in CDBG funding 11-0 and a $400,000 Affordable Housing Trust Fund appropriation 10-1, with member Tarkington dissenting in favor of directing the money to Greenwich Communities instead.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 917 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of May 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
GREENWICH — May 22, 2026 — The Board of Estimate and Taxation set the town's general fund tax rate at 10.125 mills for fiscal 2027 and approved $6 million in additional contingency funding for the Central Middle School rebuild, over objections from several members about attaching new financial-oversight conditions to the money.
The board also approved $953,410.64 in Community Development Block Grant funding and a $400,000 interim appropriation for the town's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the latter over a lone dissenting vote from board member Tarkington.
The Full Story
The Central Middle School vote drew the evening's sharpest debate. The board approved a $6 million interim appropriation to replenish the project's owner's contingency, which had fallen to $774,000 from an original $5.9 million, itself 5 percent of the $112 million project budget. Budget Committee chair Laura Erickson told the board that $3.2 million of the exposure stemmed from additional fire suppression design required by the fire marshal, with another $1 million tied to a change in owner's representative.
Erickson proposed a condition holding back $1.6 million of the new money pending a report from the Central Middle School Building Committee, with the remaining $4.4 million available immediately. Members David Fisher and a colleague who has tracked the project for years argued the condition was unnecessary and potentially disruptive so close to completion. The condition passed 6-5, and the full $6 million appropriation, as amended, then passed unanimously, 11-0-0.
Building Committee chair Joe Rzepka addressed the board directly during the vote, warning that requiring committee sign-off on spending could slow decisions his nine-member panel needs to make quickly. He also disclosed that town building department officials had told the committee's construction manager that afternoon that fire-suppression testing timelines could delay occupancy of the new school beyond the planned August 4 substantial completion date, a disclosure members said they had not previously heard.
"We heard some news that was not very favorable to the job." [—] Joe Rzepka, chair, Central Middle School Building Committee
"I think it's an appropriate exercise of the BET's oversight to simply come back and ask for these conditions to be imposed." [—] Board member Selbst
On the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, board members heard from co-chair Bill Finger that of $550,000 remaining from ARPA funding, $400,000 would be returned to the town for two Board of Education HVAC projects, while $150,000 stays committed, including a $100,000 loan that closed for the Benedict Court project. Finger said four additional conditional commitments are pending, including for the former Honda dealership site and 1165 King Street, and that rejecting the request could push developers back to larger, previously negotiated-down proposals. Tarkington cast the lone no vote, saying she preferred the funds go to Greenwich Communities instead.
The board separately approved $953,410.64 in CDBG funding as recommended by the first selectman, unanimously, 11-0, following a report from Community Development Office director Tyler Fairbairn. Controller Joan Lynch reported the general fund's invested cash stood at $175.5 million as of April 30, up $6.7 million year over year, and that the town's retirement portfolio reached $748.8 million. She also reported the departure of deputy controller Karen Vitelli and the hiring of accounts payable coordinator Dan Morantz.
Why It Matters
The 10.125 mill general fund tax rate, effective July 1, sets what Greenwich property owners will pay for fiscal 2027. The Central Middle School fight matters because the $112 million project is now within months of substantial completion, and the newly disclosed building department concern over fire-suppression testing could affect when students can occupy the building this fall. The Affordable Housing Trust dispute previews a larger debate over how the town's remaining ARPA funds are allocated between affordable-housing projects and other town priorities.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Amend agenda to move CDBG public hearing closure after assessor's report Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Accept assessor's report Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Close public hearing on CDBG fiscal 2027 budget Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: PZ-1 interim appropriation of $400,000 for Affordable Housing Trust Fund Tally: For: 10, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 11 (one member absent) - Vote: CD1 CDBG budget appropriation of $953,410.64 Tally: For: 11, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 11 - Vote: Resolution associated with CDBG appropriation Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Condition on BOE 7 CMS interim appropriation, releasing $1.6 million upon committee report Tally: For: 6, Against: 5, Abstain: 0, Total: 11 - Vote: BOE 7, $6 million interim appropriation for CMS contingency, as amended Tally: For: 11, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 11 - Vote: FI6 bonding resolution for $6 million CMS interim appropriation Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Routine applications, CC1 Conservation Commission $49,536 and PL2 Pratt Library $22,870 transfer Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Accept Controller's report Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Accept Treasurer's report Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Accept Greenwich Public Schools Human Resources internal audit, January-December 2025 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: General fund mill rate of 10.125 mills for fiscal 2027 Tally: For: 11, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 11 - Vote: Sewer maintenance fund mill rate of 0.268 mills Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Sewer improvement fund mill rate of 0.091 mills Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Amended bonding resolution Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Amended budget resolutions by RTM Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Greenwich Community Television: Board of Estimate and Taxation meeting, May 22, 2026