2016 Waltham Town Meeting Preview

WALTHAM — Waltham residents will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday at Waltham Town Hall to decide on town officers and a two-tiered spending plan, and then return to the same site on Tuesday to cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on school budgets and Addison Northwest Supervisory Union unification (see story, Page 1A).
Three Waltham incumbents’ terms are set to expire on Town Meeting Day: appointed selectboard member Tim Ryan, Vergennes Union Elementary School director Steven Flint, and Vergennes Union High School director Jeffry Glassberg.
Ryan and Flint reportedly would like to be nominated from the floor of the Monday meeting to serve again, but Glassberg will step down after years of service. Tom Borchert has indicated his willingness to serve on the VUHS board, according to town officials.
Town Clerk Mary Ann Castimore and Treasurer Lucille Evarts would also like nods to remain in their posts.
The selectboard has decided to make a switch from Waltham’s current calendar year budgeting process, and that means residents will consider two sets of spending plans, one for the first six months of this year, and one for Waltham’s first fiscal year, 2016-2017.
For this January to June, the board is recommending $54,751 in administration and $42,625 in road spending. The board is also suggesting that residents approve $28,740 “from the carryover balance” to offset taxes in the current six months.
For the fiscal year, July 2016 to June 2017, the selectboard is proposing $98,254 of administrative spending and $144,525 of road spending.
There are also the usual charitable requests, most in one article totaling $3,809. The Bixby Library request for $9,205, based on Waltham’s population compared to the other towns it serves, is a separate line item from the other requests.
Tuesday’s balloting will include selecting Waltham’s representative on the Addison Northwest Unified District Board that will be formed if unification passes in all five ANwSU communities. Borchert is on the ballot for that post.
The VUHS board adopted a $10,026,000 budget proposal for the 2016-2017 school year that represents a 2.23 percent cut from the current spending level.
Voters are also being asked to support a separate $100,000 capital fund line item for VUHS. VUHS spending would still be reduced by about $134,000, or 1.3 percent, if that article passes.
The VUES board adopted a $4.75 million budget that would increase VUES spending by 1.05 percent, or about $50,000.
Waltham residents will vote on those budgets by Australian ballot on Tuesday.

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