Pomfret
Pomfret’s share of the proposed Prosper Valley School budget is estimated at $922,671, which is $74,329 more than voters agreed to last year.
The proposed total budget for Prosper Valley, a joint K-6 school for Pomfret and Bridgewater, has come in at $1,650,695. That’s a 7 percent increase from 2016.
“The board felt comfortable adding to the budget. We still have the lowest per pupil cost in the district and our enrollment is growing,” said Seth Shaw, of Bridgewater, who chairs the joint school board.
In its annual report, school officials noted that as of Jan. 1, enrollment stood at 89 students, a 10 percent increase from a year ago.
In the proposed budget, special education costs are expected to nearly triple from $31,508 to $94,125.
The Prosper Valley board also wants to put away $20,000 for future building repairs.
“We want to make sure we’re on top of things, if they come to light,” said Shaw, referring to the school that was built in the early 1990s.
Prior to Town Meeting, the School Board will hold an informational meeting regarding the state’s Act 46 school district consolidation plan on March 2 at the Town Hall, starting at 7 p.m. More information on Act 46 can be found at www.voteonact46.org.
On the town side, four of five Selectboard members are up for re-election.
But it’s difficult to predict whether the makeup of the board will change much. Pomfret is among the Vermont communities that elects town officers by floor voting. Candidates don’t have to declare their intentions until it’s time to cast ballots on Town Meeting Day.
Selectboard Chairman Michael Reese, a former state representative, said he’s likely to run again, but hasn’t decided whether he’ll seek a one-year or three-year term.
Melanie Williams and Sheila Hopkins are up for re-election, after earning one-year terms at the 2016 Town Meeting.
It was at that meeting that residents voted to increase the board from three to five members.
Emily Grube, who was appointed in August to fill a vacancy, also faces re-election for a term that has one year remaining.
The board’s proposed spending plan of $1,357,906 is 0.4 percent below last year. The proposed amount to be raised in property taxes — $1,250,071 — represents less than a 1 percent increase from a year ago.
The budget includes an additional $10,878 for law enforcement. The Selectboard voted to use Vermont State Police instead of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.
A final decision on the switch, however, will rest with the new board, Reese said.
The budget also includes an additional in $10,430 lister and auditor costs.
Finding residents to fill those positions has become increasingly difficult, the Selectboard wrote in the annual town report.
The board plans to hire “outside services to perform many of (the listers’) duties,” stated the town report.
Along with voting on the town budget, residents will have five other appropriations to decide on, including $50,800 to the Pomfret-Teago Volunteer Fire Department for operational expenses and $39,828 for Abbott Memorial Library.
The town and school tax rates won’t be set until after the state education tax rate is announced in July.
A wild card that could effect the tax rate is the amount of money that’s collected during the early part of 2017 in delinquent property taxes.
As of mid-February, the total had reached more than $200,000, including interest and penalties. A large share of the total could be attributed to an out-of-state property owner who owes more than $80,000, including interest and penalties.
Jim Kenyon can be reached at jkenyon@vnews.com.
