LEICESTER — Leicester residents will start their town meeting at 7 p.m. at the Leicester Meeting House to weigh school and town budgets. At issue is a municipal spending plan of $574,282.88, which represents an increase of $46,785.88 — or 8 percent — over the $527,497 spending plan approved last year.
The municipal budget is warned in two parts: general expense and highway expenses. The selectboard has asked for $271,947.88 for general expenseswith $201,612.18 to be raised by taxes, and $302,335 for highway expenses with $237,876.09 to be raised by taxes.
Compared to the figures warned and approved at last year’s town meeting, that represent an increase of $1,286 in general expenses spending and of $45,500 in highway spending. Of the amount to be raised by taxes, the figures warned for next week are $29,336 (or 13 percent) less for general expenses, and $43,097 (or 22 percent) more for highway expenses.
Residents will also decide on an additional $20,000 for road paving.
Voters in the Leicester Town School District will decide on a $1,153,558 school budget, an increase of $7,199 or 0.63 percent over the previous year. Voters will also decide if school directors should notify the electorate of the availability of future annual reports online or by request in lieu of distributing paper reports.
Voting on other articles will be held at the Leicester Town Office on March 3 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Among those on the Australian ballot will be 11 town officers — all incumbent and all running uncontested, including Selectmen Tom Barker and Brad Lawes. Leicester School Board Directors Connie Carroll and Mark Raishart are unopposed for reelection to two and three year terms, respectively.