Chelsea
The $1.1 million town budget, which passed unanimously, includes $50,000 for repaving Beacon Hill Road and an additional $15,000 to expand the hours of the town administrator from 20 to 30 hours a week.
Much of the discussion during Town Meeting involved an article calling to re-establish a reserve fund for highway equipment replacement.
“We’d like to get away from borrowing money” and instead be able to purchase equipment outright, said Joan Goodrich, Selectboard chair. The Selectboard plans to add $50,000 a year to the fund and would like to cap it “around $200,000.”
After exploring the pros and cons of setting aside money for future purchases at a time when interest rates are low, voters chose to seed the fund with $50,000.
They later rejected the Selectboard’s recommendation to decline requests from three of the 18 area nonprofits that sought financial support from the town. Instead, they passed Article Four as written, meaning the 18 organizations will receive a total of $20,090.
Under the new spending plan, the municipal tax rate is expected to rise by about 4 cents, to 67 cents per $100 of appraised value. That translates to an increase of about $100 on a home valued at $250,000.
During the school meeting, the proposed $3.4 million budget passed unanimously. Voters also approved transferring $20,000 from the 2015-16 general fund balance to the building reserve fund. The money will support the renovation of the school’s bell tower, which is expected to cost $40,000. The balance of the cost will be covered by grants and $9,000 already in the fund.
To comply with Act 46, the school district is considering merging with Tunbridge to form the First Branch Unified School District.
Mike Kuban asked what would happen to the bell tower money should the merger go through.
“I believe we’re going to spend it right away,” School Board Chairman Joe Spinella deadpanned. When the laughter subsided, Spinella said that, regardless of what happened, the money would be used for the tower, as planned.
The School Board gave an overview of the proposed merger, kicking off what turned out to be a two-hour long discussion of the future of Chelsea Public School. The proposal, for the 2018-2019 school year, would create one school board, with three members from each town; one budget; a merged middle school program; and school choice for students in grades 9-12.
A mailing about the proposal and the feedback it has generated is scheduled to go out to Chelsea residents. A meeting to discuss the proposal is set for April 10, at 7 p.m., at the Chelsea school gym. The towns will weigh in on the proposal in a ballot vote on April 11. In Chelsea, voting will be at Town Hall, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A “no” vote in Chelsea or Tunbridge would defeat the proposal. Even if it passes in both towns, the merger could be in jeopardy if another part of the overall puzzle fails to fall into place. Due to Act 46 rules, in order for the Tunbridge-Chelsea merger to be in compliance with the law, a proposed merger involving several other schools in the White River Valley Supervisory Union — Bethel, Royalton and Rochester — must also pass.
Voters on Tuesday re-elected Emily Marshia to her two-year seat on the School Board and elected Tara Weatherell to the three-year seat previously held by Jessie Schmidt. Both were unopposed.