Voters Approve Budget in Second Referendum

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

July 9th 2025

RICHMOND – At a second referendum on July 8, voters approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The final count was 570 to approve the budget with 484 residents voting “no.”

This second vote followed the defeat of the proposed budget in the first referendum, on June 3, by a margin of 18 votes. With 779 ballots cast in that first referendum, 380 were in favor of the budget and 398 were opposed.

Contacted Wednesday, Town Council President Samantha Wilcox said,

“I'm happy with the outcome. The revised budget represents a thoughtful compromise and a commitment to listening to all perspectives and opinions. I appreciate those who advocated for their position with kindness, respect, and a commitment to the facts. I’m excited that we’re able to better compensate our employees while also saving funds within the Capital Improvement Plan for road repairs.”

Why Did the Budget Pass This Time?

There are several differences between the first and second referendums.

·     Voter turnout for the second referendum was higher: 1,054, compared to the 779 ballots cast in the June referendum.

·     The Town Council had made $244,000 in additional cuts to the spending plan after the first referendum. Those reductions included the elimination of the proposed and newly created grant writer position, the deferral of a piece of heavy equipment for the Department of Public Works, part of the amount proposed for merit-based wage increases for town staff, and the deferral of a $20,000 purchase of playground equipment.

·     After hearing from some residents that they had not been aware of the first referendum, members of the Town Council, the Richmond Democratic Town Committee and the Richmond Community Alliance appeared to make an effort to communicate their message to voters, in letters to the editor and on social media in particular, where many residents get their local  news and information.

While four of the five council members worked to persuade voters that the amended budget was responsible and contained no property tax increase, the opposition was working just as hard to get residents to reject it a second time.

Their message was written in another letter mailed to residents by the Forgotten Taxpayers political action committee and signed by Clay Johnson.

(Johnson was also the author of a letter sent to residents the day before the first referendum in which he accused Town Administrator Karen Pinch of pushing for the additional spending.)

The latest letter describes the budget as “bloated,” and accuses council members of not listening to residents when they rejected the budget the first time.

“Why vote NO again?” the letter asks. “It’s about accountability. It’s about rejecting out-of-control spending. It’s about respecting the will of WE THE PEOPLE. ‘NO should mean ‘NO’. Period.”

Wilcox said she was pleased by the increased public engagement in the second referendum, which in turn resulted in the higher voter turnout, but she added that there is still more voter outreach to be done.

“We had a higher voter turnout than in June and a wider margin,” she said. “That said, there are still many voters who don’t know to vote, and each time we should aim to increase participation.”