Politics & Government
Hopkinton Voters Reject Town Budget At Low-Turnout Referendum
Just 159 of the town's 6,196 registered voters participated, and 95 people voted against adopting the fiscal 2022 budget.
HOPKINTON, RI — Hopkinton voters have rejected a proposed $27.9 million municipal budget for fiscal 2022, and they did it with only 2.5% turnout.
Just 159 of the town's 6,196 registered voters participated in last Tuesday's referendum, with 95 voting against and only 64 in favor of the budget. The proposed budget would have required a $0.31 increase in the property tax rate and boosted government and education spending by 2.4%, The Chariho Times reports.
The budget would have met contractual obligations, level-funded most departments, replaced a police cruiser, and torn down an old building at Ashaway Elementary School at $165,000, and spent $20,000 on technology and website upgrades.
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The last time town voters rejected the annual budget was in 2019. The town then reverted to using its existing budget.
Find out what's happening in Hopkintonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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