Why This Year’s Enfield Holiday Market Might Be the Best One Yet

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Christina Tetreault has a very specific challenge for this year's Enfield Holiday Market: how do you build a crafts fair that appeals not just to women, but to the people who are hardest to shop for—men? "I'm trying to make a market that will cater to shopping that everyone needs to do," said Tetreault, a market organizer. And that means a market has items that offer potential gifts, which may be great gifts for men. She has made it a mission to increase the variety and depth of the market. Town Support Matters The Enfield Holiday Market is unique. The Town of Enfield sponsors the event and provides the space at no cost. The town's support goes a long way to helping makers of independent crafts survive. The November-December timeframe accounts for most of their sales and determines whether they break even for the year. This year's market begins Saturday, Nov. 29, at Fermi -- Enfield Annex -- at 10 a.m. and runs through 2 p.m. It continues on Sundays through De...
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Enfield Town Council to vote on budget without tax increase


Enfield Town Hall, May 19, 2024

The Town Council is scheduled to adopt a budget tonight without a tax increase. The proposed mill rate will remain at 30.56, the same as this year. Despite this, the meeting is expected to be contentious. The Board of Education members will face off with the council in a final appeal, warning of layoffs, increased class sizes, and other problems if additional funding is not provided. The budget vote is expected to split along party lines, with Republicans supporting no change and Democrats seeking an increase. The budget proposal defers capital improvements, including repairs and new equipment purchases for schools, reducing spending by about $1.5 million. The largest offset are new police vehicles at $750,000.* However, this merely postpones costs into the future and is not something to take credit for. This budget will keep Enfield's per-pupil spending on the low end for the state. Enfield ranks low in Net Current Expenditure Per Pupil (NCEP) spending, being the 12th lowest out of 172 state school districts and the 3rd lowest in 24 selected Hartford County towns and cities, according to state data. The NCEP measures how much a school district spends on ongoing operational costs directly related to educating students, including teacher salaries, textbooks, and utilities, but excludes school construction, land purchases, debt payments, and adult education. Once the Town Council adopts the budget, the School Board will need to adapt their spending accordingly. They anticipate layoffs, larger class sizes, and some program reductions. There's little to celebrate here. While there may not be a tax increase, there will be a noticeable decline in services, particularly in schools. Looking ahead to 2026, the council will likely face similar pressures. Enfield's biggest challenge is the increasing tax burden on residential properties due to weaknesses in our commercial tax base. Any tax growth benefits from the Enfield Square redevelopment are still years away.

Proposed capital improvement spending

Proposed budget resolution

*The initial version of this post identified the EMS generator as the most expensive item. That was corrected above.

Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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