Webster approves budget, supports call for EFA transparency
Webster town moderator Mike Jette (right) joins Selectboard Chair David Hemenway in a thumbs up after Hemenway announced to the gathered audience a proposed budget for 2023-24 of 2.29 million, a 0.5% decrease from the current budget on Tuesday night, February 7, 2023. GEOFF FORESTER
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Published: 03-19-2025 5:40 PM
Modified: 03-19-2025 5:41 PM |
Webster residents approved a $1.94 million operating budget on Saturday, a 6.5% increase from the previous year.
David Hemenway, select board chair said the main driver of the increase was personnel costs, noting that expenses related to pay and insurance have risen.
“We don't like it any more than the taxpayers do because we are the taxpayers too,” said Hemenway. “However there's something important to keep in mind and that is that inflation has also been rampant over the past few years and of course, this is one of the reasons why people care so much about a budget going up because everybody's feeling it.”
The budget also includes funding to fill a vacant position in the police department.
The tax rate decreased to $4.59, reflecting an 11-cent reduction from the previous year.
All warrant articles passed in Webster, including a petitioned measure calling for more accountability in the state's Education Freedom Account program.
The article asked the town to take a stand, urging stricter oversight of taxpayer dollars diverted to religious or private schools through vouchers, a debate that has also emerged in other communities.
Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com
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Webster residents approved a $1.94 million operating budget on Saturday, a 6.5% increase from the previous year.
David Hemenway, select board chair said the main driver of the increase was personnel costs, noting that expenses related to pay and insurance have risen.
“We don't like it any more than the taxpayers do because we are the taxpayers too,” said Hemenway. “However there's something important to keep in mind and that is that inflation has also been rampant over the past few years and of course, this is one of the reasons why people care so much about a budget going up because everybody's feeling it.”
The budget also includes funding to fill a vacant position in the police department.
The tax rate decreased to $4.59, reflecting an 11-cent reduction from the previous year.
All warrant articles passed in Webster, including a petitioned measure calling for more accountability in the state's Education Freedom Account program.
The article asked the town to take a stand, urging stricter oversight of taxpayer dollars diverted to religious or private schools through vouchers, a debate that has also emerged in other communities.
Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com
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