Fairlee Town Meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at Town Hall.
FAIRLEE — Voters at Town Meeting will be asked to approve a general fund budget of almost $1.1 million, with $959,288 to be raised by taxes, a $15,465 increase.
The highway budget of $944 would require $163,528 to be raised in taxes, a decrease of $15,010.
If all spending is approved, the municipal tax rate would increase by 2.3 cents per $100 of valuation, to just over 58 cents.
That computes to $1,457 in town taxes on a home assessed at $250,000.
Also on the warning is a proposal to change the First Constable from an elected position to an appointed one, and to empower the Selectboard to appoint a second constable if needed.
Elections of town officers are from the floor. Selectman Frank “Jay” Barrett Jr., who has served on the panel for 24 years, 18 as chairman, is not seeking another term.
“I’ve decided not to run again, although the folks in town have been incredibly kind and appreciative of my years of service — I’ve indeed lived a very charmed life compared to most (Selectboard) members in most towns,” Barrett, who turns 66 next week, said Friday.
Barrett, an architect, was the driving force behind the renovation of Fairlee’s historic Town Hall, which was built in 1914, and also helped coordinate the three-town repair to the Lake Fairlee Dam.
“I’m proud of what we managed to get done over the years. Town Hall is one of them,” said Barrett, who said he was touched — and surprised — to open the Town Report Wednesday evening and find a page dedicated to his work for the town.
Town Meeting will return to the restored auditorium of Town Hall, the first to be held there since 1986.
John P. Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com.