Voting in Unity for town and school officers is Tuesday, March 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Unity Town Hall.
The business portion of the annual town meeting is Saturday, March 18, at noon in Town Hall; the business portion of the annual school meeting is Saturday, March 25, at noon in Town Hall.
Unity
A combination of lower school spending, an increase in adequacy aid and a surplus from the last fiscal year combined to bring the estimated school portion of the property tax rate down $1.87 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
The proposed operating budget of $3.5 million represents a 2.6 percent, or $96,000 decrease, from the current year’s.
The total budget in the warrant is $3.7 million, including grants and food services, which are offset by other revenue.
SAU 6 Business Manager Mike O’Neill said most of the decrease is in the area of special education costs. The amount to be raised by taxes is down $235,000, or 11 percent.
Also on the warrant is an article to establish an advisory budget committee for the school.
The committee would have a minimum of seven members that would include School Board members, town officials and residents.
The only contested race on either the town or school ballot is a three-year School Board seat with incumbent Craig Shute facing Marjorie Erickson.
The town budget of just over $1 million is about $80,000 more than the amended amount approved by voters last year. Even with that increase, the amount to be raised by taxes for all requested appropriations is down about $133,000, mostly because of an increase in non-tax revenues in the area of capital reserve transfers for $110,000.
That transfer would go toward the $184,200 lease/purchase of a dump truck with a plow that the Selectboard is recommending.
Other money articles include $300,000 to continue reconstruction of Stage Road ($200,000 was approved last year for work on the road); $9,500 for security cameras for the town offices; and several articles to place money in capital reserve funds.
If school and town appropriations pass, the combining school and town tax rate is projected to drop nearly $2, saving the owner of a $150,000 property $300 a year in taxes.
A petition article asks that the fire chief be appointed by the Selectboard, with firefighters also to be appointed by the board upon the chief’s recommendation. Now the chief is elected by the firefighters.
Selectboard member Bill Schroeter said the current format is not in compliance with state law.
On Tuesday’s ballot is a zoning ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in accordance with certain restrictions.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
Correction
Unity voters at Town Meeting on Tuesday will decide a ballot question to allow accessory dwelling units in accordance with certain restrictions. In addition, a petition article would have the fire chief appointed by the Selectboard, and firefighters would also be appointed by the Selectboard upon the chief’s recommendation. An earlier version of this story incorrectly described how firefighters would be appointed and referred to a zoning ordinance passed last year.
