Third Time A Charm For School Budget

The $31,137,306 school budget for the upcoming fiscal year was approved June 8 by a vote of 1,666 to 1,126, a difference of 540 votes.

This was the third referendum vote on the school budget.

More than 2,790 voters came out to vote on this hot day, a decrease from the second referendum, which drew 2,970 voters. The first referendum saw 2,341 voters and electors.

There are approximately 8,900 registered voters in town. In a budget referendum, those owning property assessed at $1,000 or more are qualified to vote.

After the first school budget of $31.55 million failed at the May 11 vote, the town’s Board of Finance reduced the proposed budget by $344,772.  

After the revised $31.21 million school budget failed at the May 25 vote, the BOF reduced the proposed budget by an additional $75,000.

The $14.28 million town budget, revised after a first failed vote, passed on the second try.

The mill rate was set at 24.92 by the Board of Finance.

The current mill rate is 22.41 (a tax rate of .02241). Part of the increase is due to a 2.39 increase due to the revaluation and reduction of the grand list. Specifically, the 2.39 mill increase is due to a $164 million loss in the town’s grand list, or listing of all taxable properties in town. When the final numbers came in, the 2010 Grand List of $1,494,545,983 lost 10 percent of its value from 2009.