UPDATED: Groton Voters Approve $11.2 Million Road Referendum

Groton voters approved an $11.2 million bond referendum in Tuesday night's election to repave and repair roads in the town, city and Groton Long Point.

The vote was 6,043 in favor and 5,550 against.

Voters in Districts 6, 7 and 8, which include Mystic, Noank and Groton Long Point, voted against the ordinance. All of the other Districts voted in favor of it.

Fred Franzius, a voter in Groton City, said he didn't think the town made the case for the ordinance. He said town officials put the question on the ballot and expected voters to approve it. So he voted no.

"They showed no sensitivity at all to taxpayers," he said.

Pat Herbert, a voter in Mystic, said she's lived in Bel Aire for 40 years and the roads have never been resurfraced. She supported the ordinance.

"The roads are really bad and if you go to sell your house (with) the infrastructure it looks terrible," she said.

The ordinance will appropriate $11.2 million in bonds from 2013 until 2017. Of the total, $3.54 million will be spent in Groton City; $986,000 will be spent in Groton Long Point; $6.36 million will be spent in the town; and about $300,000 will be spent on financing costs.

The debt will have the most impact on taxpayers during the 2017-18 fiscal year, an explanatory text of the referendum said.

In that year, taxpayers will likely see an increase in the tax rate of .37 mills. On a median home assessment of $170,170, this will translate into a tax bill increase of $62.88.

In other years, taxpayers will see little impact from the bond. In its lowest year, or least impact in 2026-27, the road ordinance will push the mill rate up by .03, adding $4.66 to taxes on a median-priced home.