Later this spring, Town Meeting will be asked to consider a $166.2 million budget, which includes $6.9 million in capital expenditures.
Budget documents were posted to the town website on March 25, according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. The Select Board voted to recommend the budget to Town Meeting at its March 17 meeting.
The budget represents a $2.7 million, or 1.7%, increase over last fiscal year, according to budget documents.
Broken down, total general government saw a 6.3% increase; total shared services (which includes insurance, such as town and school employee benefits, for example) saw a 3.9% increase; total public safety, 1.5%; total education, 5.6%; total human services—which now includes the Council on Aging, Recreation Department and Veterans affairs under the Community Services umbrella—saw a 15.3% increase. Finally, total debt service saw a 14% increase, which is tied to recent debt exclusions for the library and rink construction projects. Total public services, meanwhile, decreased by 3.1%.
Capital expenditures increased by 22.3%, largely attributed to the use of one-time funding sources, according to budget documents. Among the project recommendations are: $3.7 million for the Chenery heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) replacement; $1.2 million for a water main replacement project; and $2 million for the annual pavement management program.
