Canaan Town Meeting consists of ballot voting between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at the fire station.

CANAAN — Voters next week will be asked to approve several town vehicle purchases, including a fire command SUV, a fire utility truck and a police cruiser.

None of those purchases would impact the tax rate because the money to buy them is slated to come from capital reserve funds.

The proposed general fund budget of roughly $3.83 million represents a 4.4 percent increase over last year. If voters shoot it down, a default amount that is $162,850 less will take effect.

The budget increase includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for town employees and about $60,000 to help fund the newly created ambulance service, Town Administrator Mike Samson said.

Taxes in town are expected to increase by only 2.5 percent because of additional revenues in 2018 and a growing tax base.

The proposed water and sewer budget of $194,840 is up 7 percent, an increase that accounts for the cost of health care for the operator.

The estimated municipal tax rate impact if all of the articles pass is about 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $35 on a $250,000 home. That would bring the town portion of the overall tax rate to $7.14 per $1,000, Samson said.

Of the vehicle purchases, the town plans to replace the current fire command vehicle, a 2006 pickup truck, with a new $30,000 SUV; buy a fire utility truck ($45,000) to allow the town to haul equipment, assist with wildfires and transport water; and obtain a $35,000 four-wheel drive police cruiser to replace a 2013 Ford Taurus. The town also hopes to purchase a $38,000 asphalt hot box reclaimer — a device most often used to fix potholes — to replace the existing one.

Voters will be asked to put $140,000 into the highway equipment capital reserve, $40,000 into the bridge capital reserve, $40,000 to government buildings capital reserve and $30,000 to police cruiser capital reserve. There is also a proposed $10,000 for the revaluation capital reserve and $60,000 for the fire equipment capital reserve.

There is a land purchase and sale on the warrant, too. The town is seeking to purchase land off Route 118 for the town’s gravel pit while also selling a portion of the existing gravel pit, money from which would go into the general fund.

There are several citizen petitions for various social service agencies up for a vote.

David McAlister’s position is up on the Selectboard, and he is running for re-election. He is facing a challenge from Anthony Bishop.

Schools in Canaan are part of the Mascoma Valley Regional School District.

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 60 3-727-3248.