Setting the Record Straight: 

𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡’𝐬 “𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧” 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞

This Wednesday, May 28, Bloomfield voters will have the opportunity to vote on the FY2026 town budget—a vote triggered by over 1,200 residents concerned about rising taxes, increased spending, and the direction of our community.

In his recent article, Planning & Zoning Commissioner Kevin Gough—appointed by the same Council that adopted the budget—accused residents of spreading misinformation. Let’s take a look at what he got wrong.

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: The FY2026 budget is $117 million

FACT: The adopted budget is $113,619,271.

(Source: FY2026 Adopted Budget, Page 1)

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: Revaluation alone would have caused a 12.7% tax increase

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓: No official document supports this figure. The average residential property assessment increased 39.57%, but tax impact varies by property.

(Source: Page 19)

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: The Manager’s proposal would’ve led to a 20.8% tax hike

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓: That number appears nowhere in any official budget document. It is misleading and unverified.

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: Using more of the General Fund is a “dumb idea”

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓: The Town Manager himself proposed using $5.07 million from reserves. The Council ultimately used $3.75 million.

If using reserves is a “dumb idea,” then Gough is also criticizing the Town Manager’s own strategy.

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: Residents haven’t proposed alternatives

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓: Residents have provided specific, responsible recommendations:

 • Freeze or reduce the +30.3% increase to the Town Manager’s Office

 • Scale back the +78.1% increase in Finance Administration

 • Reconsider the $4 million Economic Development Trust Fund, created without a public vote

These are measured proposals—not service cuts.

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𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌: The average household will see a 7.2% tax increase

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓: That number is not cited in any official document. Each property’s impact varies, depending on revaluation.

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𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒:

 • We are in a 4-year revaluation phase-in. Each year, your taxable property value increases—raising your tax bill.

 • The Council increased spending by $3.42 million, adding long-term pressure on top of revaluation.

 • The budget relies on $3.75 million in reserves to temporarily soften the tax blow—an unsustainable strategy that is projected to continue.

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𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫:

The omissions in Kevin Gough’s article aren’t accidental. He intentionally left out major budget increases, vague expense categories, and the $4 million trust fund approved with no public vote.

This isn’t an oversight—it’s a deliberate attempt to shape the narrative and mislead voters ahead of the May 28 referendum.

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𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃

(Review of FY2026 Budget, Expenditures starting on Page 18)

 1. Administrative spending rose nearly $1 million—up 17%.

 2. Employee benefits are rising nearly twice as fast as inflation, with no plan to manage the cost.

 3. The town is tapping into already-low reserves, with plans to continue withdrawals in future years.

 4. There are large, unexplained line items under “Professional Services” and “Legal Fees.”

 5. Most of the new spending supports administration—not public-facing services like education, roads, or public safety.

None of this is mentioned in Gough’s article, but all of it is in the budget.

𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧.

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇:

This budget prioritizes government overhead while asking residents to pay more—year after year. With revaluation compounding that pressure, we need a responsible course correction.

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𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐎 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟖.

Not to play politics.

Not to slash services.

But to say: Reassess. Slow down. Do better.