JAY – Selectmen voted Monday to hold future annual town meeting referendums for both municipal and school budgets, in the latter case a validation vote, on the second Tuesday of June.

That will align Jay’s vote with federal and state primary day votes and give town and school officials more time to gather information to prepare a budget, Town Manager Ruth Marden said.

The town used to hold its referendum vote in June but after some school budget articles failed and there was no money to start preparing for school including buying supplies, it was moved to April. That way if an article failed, it could be revisited by voters after a 45-day time frame required for a referendum vote prior to the new fiscal year beginning on July 1.

Now that there is a warrant article included on the ballot that asks voters to let the town run on 90 days or three-twelfths of what was raised during the previous budget, they could have the vote in June, Marden said.

With the state coming out and saying it won’t give out school subsidy figures in time for an April referendum or changing what the anticipated revenue figures will be after the vote, it would be much easier to prepare a budget, she said.

It would also save the town money to avoid the costs of two referendums, she said.

Marden said she budgeted 10 percent less in anticipated state revenues on the town side, and after the vote the state said it would be 15 percent less, she said. The additional 5 percent will have to come out of the general fund to cover the decrease in revenues, she said.

Next year’s town and school referendum will be held Tuesday, June 8.

Copy the Story Link