Wilton Referendum Vote on Saturday, View Questions and Sample Ballot Written by Wilton First Selectwoman, Lynne Vanderslice Referendum Vote on Saturday, May 15 With the FY2022 proposed budget appearing to be sailing through, you might be thinking you don’t need to bother voting on Saturday or by absentee ballot. Please remember there are also five bonding referendums on the ballots. Unlike the budget, which automatically passes if less than a 15% turnout, the referendums are decided based on the actual vote counts. The referendums are: $1.450 million for and Aerial (Ladder) Fire Truck “Does Wilton really need a ladder truck ?” was a question recently asked of me by my husband. The answer was yes. The Insurance Services Offices, the company that rates the fire safety of communities, sets standards for the requirement of an aerial truck. Standards include when there are five or more buildings 32 feet high within the fire district. Wilton has many more than five buildings at 32 or more feet. The maximum building height currently allowed in Wilton is 54 feet. Many of you remember the 2012 fire at the Wilton Crest condominium complex. The fire broke out in the center of a group of buildings making it difficult to reach the fire. The ladder on the aerial truck was raised above the building and water was pumped down into the fire. On the top of the aerial that day was Wilton’s now Fire Chief Jim Blanchfield. As Jim often says, the outcome that day would have been very different had Wilton not had an aerial truck. Chief Blanchfield is working with purchasing consortiums in states much larger than Connecticut to allow us to leverage their greater purchasing power.