The Warren Select Board adopted a budget of $4.4 million, which they will bring to taxpayers for approval on Town Meeting Day. The budget is up $251,146 – 6% from last year.
Wages for town employees are up about 7%. This includes a 7.5% increase in salary for the town treasurer, 7.5% increase for the zoning administrator and planning coordinator, 18.8% increase for listers, 20.5% increase for the town’s office assistant – now set at $12,000, and a 7.8% increase for highway employees. It also includes a 21% decrease in salary for the town clerk, who was recently hired by the town.
Overall administrative costs are up about 14% for next year -- set at about $671,000. The town will see a 39% increase in spending for the town clerk’s office, including about a $3,600 increase for training the new clerk. Costs for the town treasurer’s office are down about 58%, even with a 27% increase in audit and accounting services. Spending for the planning and zoning office is up about 37%.
Spending for the town’s planning commission is up nearly 191% -- set at about $58,000 for next year. That includes $27,802 for software – up from $250. The town plans to purchase a subscription to a software platform that would track data on the short-term rental market in Warren.
Service costs are up 7% overall. The fire department’s spending is up 12.5%, with spending for remuneration – or work in excess of contracted hours – up $10,000, and spending for repairs and maintenance up $7,000.
Highway spending is up 16.8% -- set at about $1.4 million, including a $45,000 increase in spending on gravel (up 60%), a $19,000 increase in spending on grader blades and chains (up 135.7%), a $10,000 increase for erosion control (up 28.6%), an $8,000 increase in spending on propane for town buildings (up 47%), and an $8,000 increase for spending on tires (up 66.7%).
The town allocated an additional $3,000 for the Mad River Valley Senior Citizens – up 42.9%. The organization provides meal delivery, wellness activities and other services for Mad River Valley seniors.
Warren’s capital budget is proposed for $1,036,500 – down about 8% from 2023. That includes a $240,000 decrease in spending on road paving (down 50%) and a $75,000 decrease in costs for the Blueberry dam and the Warren covered bridge (down 75%).
It also includes a 140% increase in spending on town building renovations, a 100% increase for town improvements, a 66.7% increase for bridge repairs, and a 33% increase for highway department equipment.
The town is expecting to collect about $374,000 in revenue next year.
