Town Meeting is March 7 at the Sharon Elementary School. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the floor meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. The annual school meeting is March 6 at 7 p.m. at the Sharon Elementary School.
Sharon
Residents on March 7 also will settle a contested Selectboard race, a request to accept donation of recreational land to the town and a petitioned article to declare voters’ opposition to the “NewVistas” project.
The proposed budget increase is spread across several departments, including the listers, Planning Commission, and the police and fire departments on the town’s side; and personnel costs and permit fees on the highway side.
Some of the largest changes came from unavoidable increases in health care costs, which were “absolutely huge,” Selectboard Chairman Kevin Blakeman said.
“We’ve purchased some new equipment too,” he said in an interview Monday, referring to the town’s recent acquisition of a new grader and truck. “We spend a lot of time trying to cut budgets but sometimes we conclude that we’re better off spending money.”
Overall school expenditures are decreasing by about $200,000, to roughly $4.1 million. Per-pupil spending, however, will increase by about 4 percent to $15,502 per equalized pupil, leading to an extra 4 cents in taxes per $100 of property valuation. That translates to about $100 more on a $250,000 house, according to budget documents in the town report.
The town’s portion of property taxes is expected to increase by a penny, or about $25 on the same house.
Blakeman, who served three nonconsecutive terms on the Selectboard, faces two challengers for his three-year seat: Kevin Gish, a math teacher at Sharon Academy, and Keith Lyman Sr.
A petitioned article on the warning asks that the town accept the donation of a roughly 10-acre piece of land on the White River known as the Rikert property that some town leaders are hoping to open for public recreation. The parcel is between the south bank of the White River and River Road, near the intersection with Broad Brook Road.
A Selectboard decision on the matter was delayed thanks, in part, to Blakeman, who expressed concern about the town’s potential legal liability for accidents on the parcel. A separate warning article would establish a reserve account for town legal expenses, and an accompanying request would raise $1,000 for that fund.
Finally, Sharon in March will be one of four towns to consider a resolution opposing “NewVistas,” Utah developer David Hall’s plan to create a planned community for thousands on land in Sharon, Royalton, Strafford and Tunbridge.
Residents have expressed concern that NewVistas, which Hall based on designs by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church, is intended to be a self-sustaining community, could weigh on public services and change the character of their communities. Hall has said that the actual community is not likely to be developed in his lifetime.
Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or at 603-727-3242.
Correction
Keith Lyman Sr. is running for a Selectboard seat in Sharon. The annual town report incorrectly named a different person, and, consequently, so did an earlier version of this story.