Duxbury voters will be asked to approve a FY23 budget that is up $124, 918 from last year’s budget at Town Meeting on March 1. Last year’s funding request at Town Meeting was $1,161,580 and this year’s request is $1,286,498. Duxbury’s fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30.
Duxbury’s budget increase is fueled by many small increases across the board. For example, under the town road budget, the cost of gravel is increasing from $72,000 to $80,000, although the cost of salt will drop $5,000 year over year. Generally, the road department budget for materials has increased from $258,100 to $262,640.
The road department equipment budget is up from $106,900 to $120,200, most of it due to small line item increases of about $1,000. The town is budgeting $7,000 for its chloride trailer, up from $700 last year. The cost of the town garage is expected to increase from $36,291 to $39,075 which includes a $2,000 increase for fabrication and $600 increase for telephone and internet.
Road crew salaries and benefits are up from $283,815 to $295,762. That includes wage increases for the three full-time road crew members as well as increased hours and wages for one part-time member whose wages will go from $8,000 to $22,080. Health insurance and dental insurance for the road crew is dropping from $59,487 to $44,984.
Duxbury’s budget includes a separate section that identifies road under repair, due to be repaired and also those where work is being funded by grants or FEMA. That special roads bottom line will go from $142,500 to $192,500. It incudes $152,000 for a Scrabble Hill VTrans grant. Several other projects age off this budget including $17,500 in work associated with a November 2019 storm, $23,000 for a Camel’s Hump scoping study, $53,000 for Scrabble Hill, part two and $44,000 for River Road repaving.
General government expenses, which include the town clerk, treasurer and assistant town clerk and treasurer are increasing from $93,220 to $95,567. The town office and grounds cost increased slightly from $8,050 to $8,650. Duxbury is budgeting $20,841 for general and clerical services this year, up from $17, 825 last year. That includes a $2,000 increase in computer support services.
The legal budget for the town of Duxbury remains at $15,000. Planning and town officer cost in the proposed budget increases slightly from $95,381 to $96,778. This includes the zoning administrator, delinquent tax collector, listers, appraisal services, auditors, the moderator, ballot clerks, town reports, etc.
Duxbury is budgeting $120, 570 for fire protection from the Waterbury Fire Department, up from last year’s $115,782. The town is budgeting $7,000 for fire protection from the Moretown Fire Department, level funding last year’s amount.
This year Duxbury is budgeting $28, 487 for EMS service from the Waterbury Ambulance Service, up from last year’s $24,950.
