Selectboard proposes budget with small spending increase

Both the Charlotte Selectboard and the Champlain Valley School District board have worked to propose budgets with very small increases in spending over their respective budgets from last year. Both initially proposed budgets were defeated by voters in 2024.

This year, town and school proposed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year are almost flat — not south Texas flat; they’re more like south Georgia flat.

The school system is asking voters to approve a budget with a .9 percent increase in expenses, while the Charlotte Selectboard is presenting to voters a budget of $4,265,990, an even smaller .58 percent rise in town spending.

But the really important figure, town administrator Nate Bareham said in a conversation, is the amount to be raised by property taxes ($2,531,353). This means the selectboard is proposing a budget that would increase property taxes by .07 percent.

If passed, meeting this town budget would require an estimated tax rate of .1825 or about $182.50 per $100,000 of property value.

The selectboard engaged in a long process to arrive at a final budget for residents to approve by voice vote at a town meeting on Saturday, March 1.

At the selectboard’s last meeting on the budget on Jan. 23, town clerk Mary Mead was clearly ready for the board members to make a decision. One of the final pieces of the budget puzzle was deciding how much to propose allocating for Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Service.

“You’ve had a long time to think about the budget,” Mead said. “Put in what they want; put in what you want to put in; if that’s the same, that’s great. You just need to make a decision.”

Board member Kelly Devine said this will be the first time in a few years with an in-person town meeting where the budget will be decided by voice vote. This means, if fire and rescue service members feel the selectboard has trimmed too much from their proposed budget, they have the opportunity to suggest an increase to their budget from the floor.

“They certainly can,” acknowledged Chair Jim Faulkner.

Ultimately, the selectboard decided to propose $1,020,246 for fire and rescue in the fiscal year 2026 budget. If approved, this will be a 3-percent increase over last year’s expense allocation for the department.

Fire and rescue operated without a chief for most of the past year, so funding this salary is one increase in fire and rescue spending, said board member Lewis Mudge.

The first two articles attendees at the in-person town meeting will be voting on are basic boilerplate, having to do with approving the gathering to hear from town officers, having the chance to act upon those reports and approving the payment of property taxes by town residents with a deadline for payment of Friday, Nov. 14.

Article 3 is the budget article where voters will have to approve or disapprove of the expenses the selectboard has proposed in its budget.

Article 4 is whether voters want $62,000 to be raised by property taxes for the Charlotte Trails Fund.

Article 5 asks voters to authorize the selectboard to allocate $5,000 from the town’s trails fund for maintaining town trails.

Article 6 is the request from the recreation department for $40,000 to be raised by property taxes for a new bathhouse at the Charlotte Town Beach.

If voters at town meeting approve articles 4 or 6, it will mean that the budget estimates and projected percent increases will go up by either or both of those amounts.

Article 7 gives residents the opportunity to vote for all budget articles to be decided by Australian ballot going forward. If approved, this would mean that in the future the budget will be approved by voice vote.

Likewise, Article 8 would change all voting on public questions from voice voting to Australian or secret ballot voting.

Articles 7 and 8 are required by state statute to be decided by voice vote. According to statute, since these items were initially adopted by voice vote, to change them they have to be adopted the same way. These two articles would basically end voting by voice vote in a town meeting for Charlotte.

Article 9 is more boilerplate. This article, if approved, gives voters in attendance at the town meeting the authority to decide any other issues that come up at the meeting.