HANCOCK — At a fairly quiet town meeting Tuesday morning, Hancock residents passed a 2019 town-highway budget of $371,088, which represents a $46,382 reduction from the current $417,470 spending plan.
Residents also voted to approve a combined total of $30,121 for various social services organizations that serve Hancock, including the White River Valley Ambulance service.
Incoming officials were elected from the floor. Most notably, Dan Perera will serve a three-year term on Hancock’s selectboard, replacing Shelley Twitchel, who did not seek re-election.
Details on Hancock’s 2018-2019 school budget won’t be known until the annual school meeting in May. And there are some big changes on the horizon.
As of July 1, the Granville Hancock Unified District School Board will replace the Hancock School Board, as a result of governance consolidation mandated through Act 46. The new six-member board will be made up of three elected residents from each town. There will be one combined budget for the entire district. The board will be responsible for tuitioning all students Pre-K through grade 12 to the approved schools of their choice.
Tuitioning towns must pay whatever the tuition receiving schools set with no obligation to parents or guardians, according to the annual school report.
There are currently a combined total of around 100 students in the two towns, who attend more than 15 schools, according to school board officials.
Hancock residents last year approved a 2017-2018 school spending plan $847,654.