CANAAN — Voters next week will rule on requests to buy two municipal vehicles, and to spend $4 million on general town operations.
Neither of the proposed vehicle purchases on the Australian ballot — $180,000 for a 10-wheel dump truck for the highway department, $37,000 for a police cruiser — will affect the tax rate, thanks to capital-reserve funds.
The municipal budget calls for spending almost $207,000 more than voters appropriated in 2019, an amount that officials estimate will raise the tax rate by no more than 2%.
In addition to regular town spending, the warrant includes several articles from petitioners seeking money for social services. These range from $13,000 for Canaan’s share of the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council and $10,000 for the Mascoma Community Health Center, to $9,700 for Visiting Nurse and Hospice for VT and NH and $9,550 for Advance Transit.
There are no contested positions on the ballot.
Canaan Town Meeting consists of ballot voting between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at the fire station.