The budget includes $24,810,584 for the municipal budget, a $1,424,438, or 6.09 percent increase and the school budget is $35,557,874, a $352,058 or one percent increase. It should be noted that the entirety of the municipal budget increase comes from voter-approved bonding costs for the school properties. Without those bonding costs, the municipal budget is a zero percent increase.

"On the administration side, we have provided the most responsible budget we can," said Town Manager Chuck Frigon. "We are very hopeful that this budget is approved."

Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following places: Heminway Park School, Swift Middle School, Polk School and the First Congregational Church, 40 DeForest Street. Those who normally vote at Judson school will be voting at First Congregational Church.

At the previous referendum on June 16, the school budget failed and the municipal budget passed by a narrow margin. However, both items must be approved in order for the town to move forward.

Town Council Chairman Elaine Adams expressed her wish to see more voters decide the next referendum.

"I would hope we have a high vother turnout and everyone exercises their right to vote," said Ms. Adams.

However, Ms. Adams also discussed the effects of a failed referendum in regards to start of school.

"We're looking at a meeting the following week [after the referendum]," Ms. Adams said. "We then need three weeks for legal postings and time for the registrars to set up and hire the workers they need to carry out a vote."

The need for an referendum after July 28's vote could possibly leave Watertown without a budget within a week before the start of school. Ms Adams also spoke on this.

"It would affect education in particular bceause there would be nothing worse than to impact the children's education process if the BOE had to do more layoffs and that's coming from personal experience," said Ms. Adams.

With town spending maintaining a zero percent increase, no changes have been made to numbers and voters will see the same municipal budget as presented at the previous referendum.

Following the June 16 referendum, the Board of Education budget saw its 2.7 percent spending increase reduced to zero at the regular Town Council meeting on June 23.

However, in a reversal, the Town Council held a special meeting on June 30 to restore $352,058 to the Board of Education, a one percent increase to spending.

While many residents have criticized the move, the decision was spurred by what Town Council Chairman Elaine Adams described as "second thoughts" on the part of some of the council members.

The Board of Education has been fighting to retain its current staff levels. BOE Chairman Gina Calabrese noted that Watertown's schools have yet to recover from the staff losses suffered in the early 1990s.

However, with the current budget cuts, more staff cuts were inevitable.

A July 20 press release from Superintendent Karen Baldwin details the latest discussions with the local teachers union, the Watertown Education Association, which has led to an agreement on a furlough day. From the savings realized, it seems the BOE will be able to avoid layoffs.

"This agreement re-enacts a previous agreement that was in place prior to the June 16 budget referendum that failed." said Ms. Baldwin. "The furlough day will allow the Board to avoid layoffs within the WEA [Watertown Education Association], although three vacant teaching positions will not be filled."

The furlough day will take place on April 16, 2010, and as reported in the memo, "will not affect the student school year."

According to Ms. Baldwin, if the upcoming referendum should fail, "this furlough day will be null and void if the July 28 budget referendum fails," just the same as the previous concessions agreement from the WEA.

Superintendent Baldwin has noted that in the event of another failed referendum, the BOE will be facing a zero percent budget.

The following reductions in personnel may occur: One high school business education teacher, one health education teacher, one physical education teacher, one health education teacher, one physical education teacher. At Swift Middle School, a sixth grade teacher, one-and-a-half unified arts positions, and teaching positions at grade one and two at John Trumbull.