A small turnout of Buxton voters approved the new $5.2 million budget with barely a change during Saturday’s town meeting.
Out of 60 appropriation articles voted on, the one change came with the removal of a $10,000 match to an expected grant from Project Canopy, a state program for assisting communities with forestry programs. Buxton did not receive the grant.
Selectman Bob Libby said he expects the tax rate to increase by 50 cents at most, from the current $9.40 per $1,000. That would translate into a $100 increase on the $1,880 tax bill for a $200,000 home. The rate could come in closer to the current rate, but will not be available until final property valuations are completed later this summer.
The new budget is 1.6 percent above this year’s. With school and county tax increases, the total town budget is about about 6.1 percent above this year’s. The town’s obligation to the county is $337,000 – $16,000 over this year’s $321,000. Buxton’s share of the School Administrative District 6 budget is $5.2 million, an increase of $288,000 over this year’s $4.9 million.
Some articles receiving more attention from meeting attendees were the employee benefits article, which included a 3.5 percent salary raise and the addition of dental insurance, and the recreation department article, which some voters thought should be amended to eliminate the recreation director’s position. Ultimately, both articles passed as written.
Ordinance changes, including the requirement that mobile homes be removed from properties when a new home is built, all passed as written.
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