At Town Meeting in March, Duxbury will present a budget of $707,618 for FY2014, before revenue. This number marks a 5.82 percent increase over last year’s budget of $668,669 and is anticipated to raise the tax rate by about eight cents.
This increase is mostly the result of a $35,170 increase in spending in the town’s largest department, the highway department, whose costs increased 8.97 percent from last year, from $392,190 to $427,360.
Within the highway department, road costs decreased 4.85 percent from last year, from $84,600 to $80,500. Equipment costs increased 9.48 percent from last year, however, from $90,700 to $99,300, and garage costs increased 40.95 percent, from $17,950 to $25,300. Road crew costs increased 11.72 percent, from $198,940 to $222,260, with the town allocating $20,000 more for crew members’ overtime pay.
Outside of the highway department, Duxbury’s insurance costs increased 73.33 percent from last year, from $15,000 to $26,000. The cost of town officers decreased 13.64 percent, from $43,875 to $37,890, with the town allocating less money for web support and legal services.
