Voters from Warren to Duxbury will be gathering next week to set budgets, elect officials, approve capital improvement plans, and many will be enjoying the ritual of a post-Town Meeting potluck.
In all Valley towns local voters will also be asked to approve, by Australian ballot, a $50.8 million budget for the Harwood Unified Union School District which will result in property tax increases that could range from 30 to 40% or 22 to 31.7%, depending on how the Legislature establishes the yield.
Voters will be asked to approve $1 million for the school district’s maintenance reserve fund as well as moving a $535,000 fund balance to the maintenance reserve fund.
Voters will also be asked to weigh in on the $4,604,130 budget for the Central Vermont Career Center, and elect a rep to serve on that board. Voters will elect HUUSD Board members and their preferred candidate for the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primary. By Australian ballot voters will also elect town officers.
Voters will have a chance to discuss the budget with board members and administrators at the HUUSD annual meeting which takes place on Monday, March 4, in the Harwood Union auditorium at 6 p.m.
WAITSFIELD
Waitsfield voters will gather at Waitsfield Elementary School at 9 a.m. and polls will be open for Australian ballot voting between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. After electing a moderator for the town, voters will be asked to approve a budget of $2,752,344, which is up 2.8% over last year’s budget.
Most of that $75,443 increase is due to the addition of a new administrative and board assistant, budgeted at $62,000. Another $5,000 increase comes from a line item for the town’s ongoing work to develop a municipal wastewater system.
Voters will set the dates for property tax payments and be asked to approve two reserve funds. One is for gravel crushing ($15,000) and the other is for long-range planning by the planning commission ($12,000).
FAYSTON
Fayston voters are meeting at 9:30 a.m. at Fayston Elementary School to elect town officers from the floor and approve a budget of $1,836,523 for the coming year as well as establish dates for property tax payments. That represents an 11.37% increase over last year’s budget of $1,627,751. The increase comes from a variety of line items in the budget, including an increase in the town’s legal budget of $4,000 over the 2023 budget. The actual 2023 legal budget came in at $9,998.
Fayston residents can enjoy community potluck at the school at the end of Town Meeting.
MORETOWN
Moretown voters can attend Town Meeting at Moretown Elementary School at 9 a.m. Voting by Australian ballot will be held at the Moretown town office, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In preparation for Town Meeting, an informational session will be held on March 4 at 7 p.m. in person at the Moretown Elementary School or via Zoom.
At Town Meeting, voters will be asked to pass a $1,646,965 budget – up about $192,000 or 13.2% from this year. That increase includes $22,800 for storm water maintenance and an additional $15,000 for the planning commission to hire a consultant to update the Town Plan.
As separate articles, voters will also be asked to vote on town spending in the amount of $95,000 plus interest to replace the western sidewalk in Moretown Village, up to $10,000 plus interest for Moretown Volunteer Fire Department gear, $10,000 for the repair and upkeep of the town’s bridges and culverts, $10,000 for surveys for town-owned land, and $10,000 for the maintenance reserve fund.
WARREN
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Warren Elementary School, Warren voters can elect town officials by Australian ballot.
At 5 p.m., they can vote on a budget of $4,440,376 – up $251,146 or 6% from last year. That includes a 16.8% increase on highway spending, a 12.5% increase for the fire department, 14% increase for administrative costs and a 7% increase for town employee wages. It also includes $27,802 for software that will help the town to study the impact of the short-term rental market on the availability of long-term and workforce housing.
As separate articles, voters will be asked to vote on town spending in the amount of $450,000 for paving town highways and $30,000 for land conservation projects.
DUXBURY
Duxbury voters will vote by Australian ballot at the town office between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. They will vote on the general fund and town highway budget of $1,167,946 – up $217,130 or 22.8% from this year. They will vote for additional articles, including $115,000 to fund the capital reserve, an $84,000 transfer from surplus funds to the town’s storm escrow, and a $30,000 transfer from surplus funds to the pavement escrow.
You might also like
