CROMWELL - The Cromwell Charter Revision Commission looks to be steering away from referendum limits for deciding the final budget appropriation.

       The Commission came to the consensus following a lengthy discussion on the matter-raised in light of low voter turnout in the past few cycles-at its July 13 meeting.

       Where they will go from there has yet to be decided, but Commissioner Michael Cannata started the discussion with an overview of budget process in a series of towns he focused on during his research.

       The methods ranged from a Council vote with no referendum-as is the case in Rocky Hill and Southington-to Glastonbury’s elaborate petition process that precedes their vote.

       The towns of Hebron, Granby, and East Hampton hold as many referendums as it takes to pass a budget, according to Cannata.

       â€�"I pay taxes in town. I pay a lot of taxes in town,” he said. â€�"I’ll be damned if someone limits the amount of times I can vote no or yes.”

       Other Commissioners echoed this sentiment. While it costs between $1500 and $2000 to hold the vote, voices at the table seemed to agree that it is a worthy investment.

       â€�"If we’re going to have a referendum, a savings of $1500 to $2000 should not warrant limiting it,” said Commission Chair Mike Camilleri.

       Whether or not to have the vote at all is another question the Commission will likely consider as the discussion continues.

       When the town last revised the Charter, popular demand drove the Commission to institute a referendum, but voter turnout has been less than 5 percent over the past few years.

       This year, only 225 of Cromwell’s 9,304 eligible voters came to the polls-or, 2.4 percent-according to the Cromwell Registrar’s Office.

       Just over 4 percent participated in the previous budget referendum-up from 3.2 percent before that, according to the Registrar.

       But Board of Finance Chair Julius Neto voiced staunch support for maintaining that part of the process.

       â€�"I strongly believe that any and all of us have a right to express our vote,” Neto said.

       Camilleri agreed, but said that the Commission might need to seek a different way to solicit resident input.

       â€�"It wasn’t out of any lack of respect for that,” he said. â€�"I’m just not sure that enough people care, or that’s how they want their voices to be heard.”

       But the past couple of budget cycles have yielded a flat Mill Rate. If later years bring the possibility of tax hikes, the town may see those numbers jump, Cannata said.

       â€�"I think we’ve been on a honeymoon lately and our taxes haven’t gone up in the past few years, so people don’t feel the need to get off their rear ends and vote,” he said.