UPTON – Thirty voters attending Thursday night’s town meeting approved a municipal budget of $162,213 in about an hour, Selectman Larry Nelson said.
“We’re all set for another year,” he said Friday afternoon.
Of the $162,213, approximately $101,163 is to be raised through taxation, $48,550 is to be taken from surplus, and the remainder through other sources.
The budget, Nelson said, represents a $56,705 increase over last year’s budget of $105,508. He attributed the hike to a slight increase in students and other education-related variables like higher bus fuel and heating oil costs.
Upton pays tuition to send its students to SAD 44.
Under the town’s SAD 44 warrant articles, voters agreed to:
• Appropriate $64,311 from the foundation allocation for school purposes for the 2005-06 school year, and raise $50,103 as the town’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12.
• Raise and appropriate $11,000 in additional local funds to fund the district’s expenditure budget for fiscal year 2006.
• Authorize the SAD 44 Board of Directors to spend $87,997 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006.
Voters re-elected treasurer James Rector to another year, and chose him as town clerk and tax collector. He replaces Walter Stanczyc, who retired after serving as town clerk and tax collector for the last eight years, and treasurer for seven years.
“We wished Walter well in his retirement, and thanked him for his service,” Nelson said.
Municipal officials also dedicated the town report to Richard LeComte, who had been a selectman in Upton for 30 years. He chose not to seek re-election when his term ended this month, and was not present Thursday night.
Nominated and elected from the floor to fill his three-year seat was Paul Casey with 15 votes. Opponent Brenda Dyer received 11 votes.
Incumbent SAD 44 director Jennifer Casey was re-elected to another three-year term.
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