Fayston town budget up 2.2 percent
For the second year in a row, Fayston’s municipal budget was impacted by a prior year fund balance. In 2019 the town had a $79,048 fund balance which was applied to the 2019 budget. At year’s end $15,998 of that fund balance was still available and helps keep this year’s town tax rate increase to 2.2 percent.
Fund balances show up in the Fayston 2020 budget as revenue, as does income from dog licenses. In 2019 Fayston budgeted $1,000 for dog licenses but received $1,957 in license fees instead. Either more dog lovers moved to Fayston or more Fayston residents got another dog or dog owners who’d been scofflaws decided to license their dogs.
On the spending side, Fayston is expecting auditing costs to increase from $7,200, which was budgeted and spent last year, to $13,500 this year. Fees for the Mad River Valley Resource Management Alliance are increasing from $8,456 to $9,471. Overall administrative costs are rising from the $27,689 that was spent last year to a projected $35,822.
Employee benefit costs are up from $133,419 to $148,579. Included in the benefits line item is health care which is rising to $94,442 from the $82,680 that was spent last year when $86,000 was budgeted.
The fact that it is a presidential election year is reflected in the election clerk line item in this year’s budget. Last year, $500 was budgeted and $92 was spent. This year $1,500 is budgeted.
The town’s highway equipment budget reflects an increase in the line item for rental equipment from $6,000 that was budgeted last year ($6,100 was spent) to $10,000. Overall the highway budget is rising from $93,400 budgeted with $84,918 spent to a 2020 amount of $100,800.
There will be some computer upgrades in Fayston this year with $10,000 budgeted for 2020, compared to $6,000 budgeted in 2019 and $5,806 spent in that year. Planning and zoning costs for the town are relatively stable from 2019 to 2020. The town budgeted $74,130 for planning last year and spent $75,148. A sum of $76,235 is budgeted for this year.
The town’s contribution to the Waitsfield-Fayston Volunteer Fire Department is increasing from $44,748 spent in 2019 ($39,912 was budgeted) to $48,712 in 2020.
The Town Meeting warning will ask voters to approve a total budget of $1,302,482. The warning also asks voters to approve $15,000 for the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, contingent on Warren, Waitsfield and Moretown approving the same amounts. Voters will also be asked to approve spending $15,000 for the Mad River Valley Recreation District, contingent on Warren and Waitsfield doing the same. Each member town in the rec district currently contributes $15,000 through the regular budgets.
Waitsfield budget up 4.1 percent
Waitsfield voters will be asked to approve a budget that is 4.1 percent higher than the town’s FY2020 budget, which ends on June, 30, 2020.
Like most town budgets, this one includes added expenses in anticipation of the presidential election in November. Election expenses are budgeted at $3,500 for the FY21 budget compared to $2,250 in the current budget. Additionally, the cost of ballot clerks is anticipated to increase from $500 to $750 for the same reason.
Select board expenses, including board member stipends, maintaining the website, training, the town administrator, select board secretary and mileage reimbursement, will rise $2,513, from FY20’s $78,400 to $80,913 in FY21.
Planning and zoning costs will rise from $45,525 to $47,959 from FY20 to FY21. Road department wages, including overtime, will increase from $168,000 to $174,472. Repairs and operations of road equipment will increase from $84,525 to $92,430 and road materials will increase from $132,000 to $163,400.
The total road budget is increasing $44,156, from $453,975 for FY20 to $498,131 in FY21.
Employee benefits for Waitsfield’s employees is increasing from $157,025 to $172,857. Of that $15,832 increase, health care is the cause of $13,460.
Fire department costs are up from $99,780 to $121,780 with a $5,000 increase included for gear and a $4,750 increase earmarked for telephone and communications.
Dues and assessments to organizations like the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, the Joslin Memorial Library, the Mad River Resource Management Alliance, the Mad River Valley Planning District and the Mad River Valley Recreation District will increase $5,203, from $167,966 in FY20 to $173,169 in FY21.
The select board is proposing additions to its various capital improvement programs, including an extra $103,573 for the road department. Capital improvement totals will rise from $343,747 to $377,874.
The town’s long-term debt for projects such as the town office and its solar array, decentralized wastewater, water main break and Bridge Street improvements is decreasing from $271,620 in FY20 to $205,685 in FY21.
The total proposed FY21 budget is $2,051,855 compared to the FY20 total budget of $1,971,058. Those totals include revenues. The amount that Waitsfield will have to raise from taxes is expected to be $1,671,590, which is projected to result in a total municipal property tax rate of $0.4471.
That tax rate would yield a tax bill of $894 on a $200,000 house, up from $869 this year. A $300,000 house would see FY21 taxes of $1,341, up from FY20’s $1,303. A $400,000 home with a FY20 tax bill of $1,737 would see a FY21 property tax bill of $1,788.
Waitsfield voters, like those in Warren, Fayston and Moretown, will be asked to vote at Town Meeting on an article calling for each town to pay the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service $15,000.
Waitsfield, Warren and Fayston voters will be asked to vote on an article calling for each town to provide the Mad River Valley Recreation District with an additional $15,000.
