Fayston Town Meeting warning includes elections and budgets
On Town Meeting Day, March 3, Fayston voters will find a Town Meeting warning that is heavy on electing officials from the floor.
Voters will elect their moderator. The term of Dave Jones, the current moderator, ends that day as does the term of town clerk Patti Lewis. Lewis is also treasurer and delinquent tax collector and those terms expire on that day as well.
Jared Cadwell's three-year term on the select board expires as does lister Fred Spencer's term. Voters will need to elect a second constable for a one-year term; Allen Tinker's term expires. Other incumbents and their positions include Ken Amann, three-year cemetery commissioner term; Dave Jones, one-year grand juror; and Dave Olenick, one-year town agent.
Those present will settle on the dates for property taxes to be paid and the penalties for late payment. Voters will authorize the select board to set the tax rate and will authorize the town to spend the proposed budget of $1,117,498 in the coming year.
Article 15 asks voters whether to pay a sum of $40,000 to the elementary school as a usage fee, up from $20,000 last year.
Article 18 asks voters if the town should move from using its listers to assess Fayston property to hiring outside assessors beginning in 2016. Article 19 asks if the town will authorize the Joslin Memorial Library board of trustees to increase its size from five up to a number not to exceed seven members.
Fayston's Town Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. at Fayston Elementary School.
Moretown Town Meeting warning includes officers, budgets and borrowing
In addition to electing a moderator, Moretown voters will elect town and school district officers at Town Meeting this year. Moretown voters will meet at the Town Hall on March 3 at 9 a.m.
Among the warning articles to be discussed is whether taxes should be discounted. This year in Moretown, taxpayers will vote via Australian ballot on a budget of $1,062,837 (without revenue), which marks a 0.56 percent decrease from 2014. Voters will be asked to approve a school budget of $2,221,773, also by Australian ballot.
Article 11 asks voters to allocate $500 for children's sports activities and Article 12 asks voters to appropriate $400 to support the work of Capstone Community Action.
Article 31 asks voters if the town should establish the Moretown Memorial Library as a municipal library, allowing the town to accept bequests, devices or donations for the establishment, maintenance and support of the library.
Article 32 asks voters to authorize the select board to use the revenue in the town's recreation fund to maintain or improve the town's rec fields and related events.
Waitsfield Town Meeting warning includes capital expenditures
At Town Meeting this year, Waitsfield voters will find a slew of money questions on the warning. When Waitsfield voters gather at the elementary school at 9 a.m. on March 3, they will have to determine whether to pay this year's taxes in four equal installments to complete the town's transition from a calendar year budget to a July to June budget.
The July 2014 to June 30, 2015, net total expenses for Waitsfield are budgeted at $1,025,035. The July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, projection is $1,368,218.
Voters will also decide if they should authorize the town to borrow an amount not to exceed $45,000, to be paid over a period not more than five years, to replace the fire department's Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus and air storage cylinders.
Article 6 asks voters to approve $165,000, to be repaid over five years, to paving Tremblay and North Roads.
Article 7 asks voters to borrow $75,000, to be paid over five years, to shim Joslin Hill Road. Article 8 asks voters to OK changing the name of the Culvert Replacement Projects Reserve Fund to the Bridge and Culvert Reserve Fund and then add $10,000 to that fund.
Voters will be asked to change the number of board members of the Joslin Library Trustees from five to seven.
Throughout the day, voters will be casting Australian ballots on a number of items as well as electing two members of the select board. Select board member Chris Pierson's two-year term expires. He is running for re-election and is being challenged by Kari Dolan and Jerry Miller. Select board chair Paul Hartshorn's three-year term expires and he is running unopposed for re-election.
Waitsfield voters are being asked to change the town's charter so that voters will no longer elect their town clerk and treasurer. That authority would be given to the select board instead.
Voters will be asked to approve spending up to $400,000 toward the cost of repairs to the covered bridge and Bridge Street. The total cost of that project is $964,000 with $150,000 paid from reserve funds and $416,000 will be paid from available state and federal grants-in-aid.
Warren Select Board will ask voters to borrow funds for water system
Town Meeting is Tuesday, March 3, and already Warren has sent its warning to the printer.
This year in Warren, taxpayers will vote from the floor on a budget of $3,059,795, which marks a 2.92 percent increase from 2014.
Unique to the warning this year in Warren, voters will be asked to authorize the Warren Select Board to apply for a loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to borrow an amount not to exceed $259,000 for constructing a water system for the municipal complex that includes the fire station, municipal building, Town Hall and Warren United Church.
Also unique to the warning this year in Warren, at Town Meeting voters will be asked whether or not the town should spend an amount not to exceed $75,000 to repave the Warren Elementary School parking lots, fire lanes and handicapped entrances.
