Published: 5/8/2022 2:47:27 PM
HAWLEY — Annual Town Meeting voters will see a $549,260 town government budget request for fiscal year 2023 and an overall $622,434 request for school costs when they meet Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Town Offices to consider a 21-article warrant.
The biggest budget increase is a 16% assessment hike for the Hawlemont Regional School District, now that Heath is no longer sending its preschool to sixth-grade students there. The district lost about $296,000 in tuition after Heath’s departure. Although the school’s operating budget has been cut by $215,700, Hawley’s assessment represents a $38,866 increase over last year’s school assessment of $250,536.
The Mohawk Trail Regional School District assessment, for Hawley students in grades seven through 12, is $206,499 — a 2.21% increase. Vocational school costs for the coming school year are $103,000.
According to the warrant, other spending requests are as follows:
■$10,000 to repave the Fire Station driveway.
■$7,500 for ambulance services.
■transferring $10,000 from free cash into each of these four stabilization accounts: Highway Department, General, Fire Department and Vocational School.
A $50,000 transfer from free cash reserves will be used to reduce the FY23 tax rate.
Other free cash transfers will be used to pay for the following: $450 for Highway Department equipment; $2,500 for Department of Public Works garage maintenance and repairs; and $505 for property and liability insurance.
For an online copy of the warrant, visit bit.ly/3vPl4zk.