Recount Calls It a 2-Vote Margin for East Granby Budget Passage

In a squeaker that turned out to be even closer than originally thought, East Granby's budget referendum has passed by a margin of two votes.

The referendum on May 22 — the second go-around for the budget — ended with 667 yes votes, 663 no votes and two votes counted as blank, according to First Selectman Jim Hayden.

State law calls for an automatic recount if the vote difference is less than a half of 1 percent. The recount was held Tuesday morning at the Senior and Community Center in East Granby.

Hayden said the election moderator determined that the two blank votes were actually intended to be "no" votes, resulting in 667 yes votes and 665 no votes.

"The two blank votes were hand counted by election officials and the moderator determined that those two blank votes would have been likely cast as “no” votes and they were added to the “no” totals," Hayden wrote in an email.

With a 35 percent turnout in the first referendum on May 7, East Granby voters were almost evenly divided on the budget. It lost by 4 votes — 622 to 618 — which set the stage for the May 22 referendum.

For the second vote, the original proposed budget of $20,093,553 was pared down by cutting $50,000 from the schools side of the budget. The town budget — an increase of 3 percent — was left untouched. In total, the budget will go up by 3.3 percent.

Hayden asked residents to call the Selectman’s Office (860-6563-2576) with any questions.