Town Meeting 2012: Pittsford

PITTSFORD

Town Budget

Proposed budget, $1,273,688, $52,080 or 4.08 percent, more than this year’s budget of $1,221,608.

School Budget

Proposed $3,648,281, $36,032 or 0.98 percent, less than this year’s budget of $3,684,313
Highway BudgetProposed budget, $1,053,571, $115,450 or 10.95 percent, more than this year’s budget of $938,121.

Contested Races

Incumbent Jack Rogers faces challenger John Eugair Jr. for a three-year lister position.
Town Meeting

Pittsford residents will gather for a floor meeting at the Lothrop School gym at 6:30 p.m. on March 5 to vote on money matters. Elections for town officials will be by Australian ballot from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pittsford municipal offices.

Town website: http://pittsfordvermont.com

Town Meeting 2012: Wells

Wells

Town budget

Proposed $760,826, $3,938 or 0.51 percent, more than this year’s budget of $756,888.

School budget

Proposed $2,152,640, $27,471 or 1.27 percent, more than this year’s budget of $2,125,178.
Special articlesAre the voters of the Wells Town School District interesting in investigating the consolidation as considered under Act 153?

Contested races

Sue Burke, John Sanders and Sharon Undal are competing for one three-year seat on the School Board. Incumbent Joel Davidson and appointee Todd Walkers are being challenged by Edgar Corey and Felix Reed for three, three-year seats on the Planning Commission.

Meeting location

Wells residents will gather at an informational meeting at 7 p.m. on March 5 at the Wells Village School. Voting on town officials and money matters will be by Australian ballot from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Wells town offices.

Town website: www.wellsvermont.com

Town Meeting 2012: Shewsbury

Shrewsbury

Town budget

Proposed $3,451,611 up more than four fold from last year’s $797,706, but the amount to be raised by taxes is only $524,501, up 4.9 percent or $24,283 from last year’s $500,218. The overall increase is largely due to FEMA-reimbursable flooding expenses.

School budget

Proposed $1,004,392, up $61,705 or 6.5 percent from last year’s $942,687.

Contested races

There are no contested races.

Meeting location

Voting takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Shrewsbury Community Meeting House.

Town Meeting 2012: Rutland City

Rutland City

City budget

Proposed $17,630,557 up $585,659 or 3.4 percent from last year’s $17,044,898.

School budget

Proposed $45,157,547, up $775,266 or 1.7 percent from last year’s $44,382,281.

Special articles

A $2 million bond for work on city bridges and $350,000 for additional paving.

Contested races

Aldermen Davis Allaire, Sharon Davis, William Notte and Chris Siliski face challengers Gary Donahue, Francis Lebo, John Mattison and Daniel While for five two-year seats on the board.

Meeting location

Ward 1: Godnick Adult Center

Ward 2: Christ the King School

Ward 3: The American Legion

Ward 4: Calvary Bible Church

Town Meeting 2012: Proctor

Proctor

Town budget

Proposed $769,537, $20,547 or a 2.6 percent reduction from this year’s $790,084 budget.The budget includes a $13,144 decrease in solid waste disposal spending and an $8,147 drop in parks expenditures.

Highway budget

Proposed $403,957, 20,009 or a 5.2 percent increase over the current $383,948 budget. The proposed budget includes increases for fuel costs and a $7,875 expense to pay the state Department of Corrections for mowing services.

School budget

Proposed $5,107,316, a $202,821 or 4.1 percent increase over this year’s $4,904,495 budget. The majority of the budget increases come from the additions of a behavioral specialist, a full-time teacher and a half-time teacher at the elementary school. At the high school, the budget was reduced by one full-time teacher.

Special articlesShall the Proctor School District transfer $250,000 of surplus funds to the capital improvement fund?

Contested races

Appointed Select Board member Bruce Baccei and challenger Ted Schaft are competing for a two year seat on the board.

Meeting location

Proctor residents will gather for a floor meeting at the Proctor High School gymnasium at 7 p.m. March 5. Voting by Austrailian ballot will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 6 at PHS.

Town Meeting 2012: Pawlet

Pawlet

Town budget

Proposed $334,756, $8,727 or 2.67 percent more than the $326,029 budget this year. A $3,500 increase in repairs and maintenance of the town hall was the single biggest expenditure increase in the proposed budget.

Highway budget

Proposed $378,786, $25,723 or 7.28 percent more than the present budget of $353,063. The proposed budget includes an $18,000 increase in paving and cold pack expenses as well as a $5,000 increase in the equipment replacement and maintenance fund.

School budget

Proposed $1,749,463 budget for the Pawlet Town School District. The proposed budget represents a $317,639 or 22 percent increase over this year’s $1,431,824 budget. The proposed budget includes a $122,219 increase in special education expenses. Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union Superintendent Daniel French said despite the increase, the school tax rate is anticipated to go up only 2 cents if the town school budget and the union school budget for the Mettawee Community School is approved.

Contested races

There are no contested races in Pawlet this year.

Meeting location

An informational meeting will be held the Mettawee School on March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Voting by Australian ballot will take place in the conference room of the town hall on March 6 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m

Driver crashes into front of auto parts store

Police are at the scene at Bond Auto Parts on Strongs Avenue, where a car took out the building's glass facade.

The driver said he thought he had stopped the car, but it kept going.

There were no reports of injuries in the collision.

Town Meeting 2012: Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor

Town budget

The proposed $124,295 municipal budget is up $5,352 over this year’s $118,943.

School budget

The $259,304 spending plan for secondary education is up $58,525 over this year’s $200,779. Budget includes a $20,000 increase in secondary tuition and a $26,000 increase in special education. The proposed $1,594,879 for Currier Memorial School is up 6.3 percent or $94,329 over the current $1,500,550. Teacher salaries increased $35,000 in the spending plan and $18,000 was added to special education and support services, while transportation was increased $22,000. 

Special article

Shall Mount Tabor vote on appropriations to the Danby/Mount Tabor Fire Department by Australian ballot annually?

Meeting

Townspeople will gather for a floor meeting Monday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Mount Tabor Town Hall to vote on municipal and secondary education articles. Australian ballot voting on the Union District 23 budget and school and town officers will be held Tuesday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mount Tabor Town Hall.

Town Meeting 2012: Danby

DANBY

Town budget

The proposed $1,074,483 dropped 1.6 percent or $17,126 from this year’s $1,091,609. Health insurance, maintenance for municipal buildings and constable costs were all reduced.

School budget

The proposed $1,594,879 for Currier Memorial School is up 6.3 percent or $94,329 over the current $1,500,550. Budget increases include an additional $35,000 for teacher salaries, $18,000 more for special education and support services, and $22,000 more for transportation. Secondary education spending plan proposal of $1,896,834 dropped $94,976 or 4.7 percent from this year’s $1,991,810. Secondary special education costs were reduced by $126,171.

Special articles

Shall the town of Danby vote to increase the Select Board by two additional positions with each additional position serving two-year staggered terms.

Shall the voters authorize the transfer of any surplus on June 30, 2012, an amount estimated to be $146,952, to the tax stabilization reserve fund? (Town school article)

Shall the bonds of the Union School District 23 in an amount not to exceed $190,000 be issued for the purpose of replacing the roof of the Currier Memorial School?

Contested races

There are no contested races for school or municipal posts.

Meeting location

Residents will gather for a floor meeting Monday, March 5 at Danby Four Corners Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. to act on town and school articles. Australian ballot voting on education and municipal budgets and the election of officers will take place at the Danby Four Corners Town Hall on Tuesday, March 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Town Meeting 2012: Middletown Springs

Middletown Springs

Town budget

Proposed $200,664, $8,984 or 4.6 percent more than this year’s $191,680 budget. The largest increase in the proposed budget is a $5,915 increase in legal expenses.

Highway budget

Proposed $381,963, a $1,169 or 0.3 percent increase over this year’s $380,794 spending plan.

School budget

Proposed $1,934,623, $123,687 or 6.8 percent more than this year’s $1,810,936 budget. The budget includes a $66,000 increase in tuition costs for secondary students, a $19,000 increase in special education expenses and an $11,000 increase in health insurance expenditures.

Special Articles

Article 5 of the school warning asks voters if they’re interested in investigating the benefits of school consolidation followed by a question about whether the town should spend $2,000 for the study.

Article 6 of the town warning asks voters if the town should borrow $77,300 to purchase and clean the Parker property at the corner of South and East streets.

Article 9 asks voters if they will urge the state and federal governments to adopt taxation and spending policies that reduce the growing disparity of wealth.

Article 10 asks voters if they will support a U.S. Constitutional amendment that recognizes that money is not speech and that corporations are not persons.

Article 11 asks voters if they will oppose a section of the National Defense Authorization Act that allows for the indefinite military detention without trial of any person.

Contested races

There are no contested races in town this year.

Meeting location

An informational meeting will be held at the Firehouse Hall at 7:30 p.m. March 5. Voting by Australian ballot will take place March 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.