MADISON — Voters approved the town’s proposed $100.1 million budget Tuesday but decisively shot down the appropriation of
an additional $8.1 million for the Academy Community Center
, leaving its fate up in the air.
The vote to approve additional funds of the new community center, which would have brought the total up to $24 million, failed by a margin of 3,670 to 1,483 — which equates to some 72% of voters saying no — according to unofficial vote totals provided by the Town Clerk’s office.
The $35.3 million town budget was approved with a vote of 3,076 to 1,991, and the voting breakdown for passing of the $64.8 million education budget was 3,174 to 1,892, according to the clerk’s office.
The fate of the community center is unclear, town officials say.
First Selectman Peggy Lyons, a Democrat, said she was disappointed in the results and gave a “heartfelt thank you” to all the volunteers and the building committee who worked on the project over several years.
“While I am truly disappointed that the public chose not to proceed with the Academy Community Center project, I am sympathetic to their many concerns during these tumultuous times,” Lyons said in a written statement.
“From day one, this project has always been community driven, and now the community has determined its outcome. I have always felt strongly that the future of major Town assets, such as this, should be decided by the public, not by elected officials.”
Selectman Bruce Wilson, a Republican, said he was not surprised by the vote against the community center funding.
“I’m not surprised by today’s vote and grateful to everyone who showed up at the polls. The message is clear: taxpayers do not support this project,” he said.
“As a Selectman, I see this as a mandate to move quickly with a plan to demolish the building. I’m committed to turning this property into a vibrant green space for outdoor community use. I will do everything in my power to bring that vision to life,” Wilson added.
Lyons said when the Academy referendum passed the first time in early 2022, “We were emerging from COVID and voters saw the wisdom in creating a facility that celebrates togetherness rather than sows division.”
The town initially
budgeted $15.9 million for the project in 2022
.
But now, Lyons said, townspeople “are in a different time” and “many are in a very pessimistic mood — they are worried about the direction of our country, nervous about their economic future, and exhausted by a barrage of negative rhetoric.”
She said the Academy vote gave “people a chance to voice their opinion on the only realistic way for the Town to proceed given the headwinds we faced, and now, as Town leaders, we need to listen to them.”
The $24 million plan was to turn the shuttered historic school, called “the centerpiece of downtown,” into a community center and municipal building. Plans were to include a gym, a recital hall, an arts room, a commercial kitchen, a lounge and several meeting rooms. A video on the town’s website shows the old building with a new bright, modern interior with high ceilings.
Also under that proposal, the town Beach and Recreation Department would have moved its offices there, as well as Madison Youth and Family Services.
“With this very definitive vote, we can now to turn the page on the community center project and find a new path forward, one that we can all walk together,” Lyons said in her statement.
The total town budget increase reflects the “flat” grand list of $42.5 billion this year, a result in part from the new state motor vehicle valuation rules that took effect this year, town officials said. Motor vehicles lost $450,000 in tax revenue, an 8% drop, according to Budget Director Kristen Bartosic.
