The Selectboard and Budget Committee have been working on the town budget. The budget includes a significant tax increase, and the Selectboard would like to give taxpayers an opportunity to discuss the budget and ask questions.The public is invited to attend the Selectboard meeting on December 17th; the meeting starts at 5:30 but the budget discussions start at 6:30. The meeting is open in person and via Zoom. A link is posted on the calendar.

What we know so far:

We will end the year with a budget deficit, estimated to be $150,000 at this point. The repairs from the 2024 floods have cost $357,000 so far, so a budget deficit is to be expected.

We have budgeted for FEMA reimbursements in 2025, but FEMA does not reimburse 100% of the expenses. For the 2023 floods, they reimburse 90% and the state reimburses 5%. The damage total is estimated to be $6,000,000 due to the four bridges that need to be replaced. Our 5% of the total is still $300,000. This will be spread over the next few years as the bridge replacements will take a couple of years.

The reimbursement for the 2024 floods will be 75% FEMA and 12,5% state. We estimate total damages of $1,200,000, so our share will be $150,000. These costs will be offset slightly by the reimbursements that we receive for the road crew but will still have a noticable impact on the town budget.

Without taking into account the deficit and floods, the increase in the regular town budget is 6.8%. With the deficit and flood impacts taken into account, the increase in taxes is projected to be 11.4%. The actual rate increase may be higher due to houses lost through the buyout program.

Department budgets are posted below, along with a summary showing the increases for the various departments. Some of the budget figures are still estimates at this point. Please check back for more information as we finalize more of the details.