GOSHEN — At next month’s town meeting, Goshen residents will convene at the town hall to vote on a $178,722 town spending plan, a number of separate expenditures and 13 town offices.
That proposed budget represents a spending increase of $11,722, or 7 percent, over the spending plan accepted at last year’s town meeting.
The annual town meeting will take place on Monday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Goshen Town Hall.
The 16-article town meeting warning also asks residents to vote on whether to spend $10,120 from interest in the Goshen Town Forest timber sale in order to pay off this year’s principal and interest for renovations on the Town Hall, as well as the dates for three installments of the property taxes.
A number of community support organizations, including Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects and the Counseling Service of Addison County, have requested a total of $850 from the town.
Voters will also be asked to approve an increase in the property tax exemption for disabled veterans. The current exemption subtracts $10,000 from the veteran’s appraised land value in order to calculate property taxes. With the proposed change, the taxes would be calculated with $40,000 subtracted from the land value. This change would affect one current town resident. They will also decide whether to allocate $15,000 in funds toward the building of a salt shed for the Stormwater Mitigation Program.
Goshen residents will also vote on whether or not to discontinue the town report mailings. The report would instead be available at the recycling center and the town office. Town officials say the move would save more than $650.
Nine of the positions that will come to a vote on March 1, including one seat on the selectboard, are uncontested. Incumbent David McKinnon is running for reelection to a three-year position on the selectboard. Former selectboard chair Bruce Webster is challenging incumbent Lorie Lovell for a three-year term as lister, and there are no candidates so far for the one-year terms of grand juror and town agent and the three-year term of auditor.
Reporter Andrea Suozzo is at [email protected].