VERSHIRE — Voters approved revised general fund and highway fund budgets in a special election Saturday after the original proposals failed.
On June 27, the town voted in favor of a general fund budget of $461,000, with $259,000 from taxes, 61 to 43. The highway fund budget of $885,000 called for $443,000 from taxes, and passed 68 to 36.
Both budgets, while higher than last year, represent a decrease in taxes, down 2.5% in the general fund and down 12% in the highway fund.
Vershire postponed its down meeting day until April instead of March due to a delay in printing the town report.
The original proposals asked for a $481,000 general fund budget, with $276,000 from taxes and a $764,000 highway budget, with $511,000 from taxes.
Both budgets represented an increase from last year, of 10% in the general budget and of 32% in the highway budget.
While the new highway budget remains higher, it’s due to state grants awarded in the time between drafting the first budget and the new one, Town Clerk Chelsea Parker said. The town must spend a total of $316,000 in order to receive a $308,000 reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for a project on Reed Road.
As for the general fund, the Selectboard sat down and cut costs where they could to make it more favorable for taxpayers, said Parker.
Of the 594 registered voters on the checklist, 105, or about 18%, participated in the special budget vote.
