Paxton voters defeat override for Wachusett school budget – Worcester Telegram

Craig S. Semon Telegram & Gazette Staff @CraigSemon

PAXTON - Town meeting voters rejected a Proposition 2 override of $190,092 to fund Paxtons $6,065,107 fiscal 2018 assessment for the Wachusett Regional School District.

The override failed in a 79-60 vote.

Paxton is the first of the five district towns to reject its share of the districts budget. Voters in Sterling, the only other town to act on Wachusett spending, approved the town's share of the budget Monday night.The other towns in the district are Holden, Princeton and Rutland. Four of the five district towns must approve assessments for the school budget to go forward.

The override for the school budget would have meant an additional 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed value onproperty taxes. Additional tax would be $111.58 for a house with an assessed value of $286,114, the average assessment in Paxton.

Voters did approve the town 2018 budget of $6,662,477, which does not include the regional school district budget.

The municipal budget is: $1,849,395 for general government; $2,065,037 for public safety; $796,876 for public services; $274,617 for sanitation and environment; $67,845 for human services; $204,903 for culture and recreation; $194,480 for central purchasing; and $1,169,324 for debt service.

In addition, voters approved a Proposition 2 debt exclusion (for five years), and a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion (for one year), as well as a temporary marijuana moratorium and a bylaw allowing drive-thru service at fast-food restaurants.

The debt exclusion is for $150,000 to conduct site planning and initial design for a new Department of Public Works facility to replace the 62-year-old facility now being used. The estimated cost of the proposed 24,433-square-foot facility is $8.9 million, according to Weston and Sampson Engineers.

The five-year debt exclusion for the DPW translates to an additional 7 cents tax per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The capital expenditure exclusion is for $70,000 for exterior repairs to Town Hall.The one-year exclusion will mean an additional 14 cents tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

Voters also approved a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion referendum for $120,000 toward window replacement and minor repairs for the John Bauer Senior Center.The one-year exclusion will mean an additional 25 cents tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

Voters also approved a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion referendum for $41,910 for a new Ford Police Interceptor utility vehicle adding another9 cents on tax bills for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

The annual town election is Monday. Several ballot questions will determine whether the town can go ahead with the Proposition 2 exclusions for the DPW facility, the police vehicle, the Town Hall repairs and the Senior Center window replacement.

And even though it failed at town meeting, the Proposition 2 override for the school budget is on the ballot.

Although there are no contests on the ballot, Town Clerk Susan Stone reminds voters that there are two vacancies with no candidates: a three-year Wachusett Regional School District Committee seat and a three-year Recreation Commission seat. Absentee ballots are available until noon Friday at Town Hall.

Themoratorium on marijuana establishments, marijuana retailers, marijuana cultivators, marijuana testing facilities and marijuana product manufacturers will be in effect through Dec. 1, 2018. The drive-thru measure allows drive-thru window service at fast-food restaurants no larger than 2,000 square feet.

Read the original here:
Paxton voters defeat override for Wachusett school budget - Worcester Telegram