FERRISBURGH — Ferrisburgh residents at their annual town meeting on Saturday backed all proposed spending measures, and on Tuesday cast their ballots in unopposed races for town offices.
Residents from the floor of town meeting at Ferrisburgh Central School backed the selectboard’s proposed town budget of roughly $2.065 million, one that crested $2 million for the first time.
It includes $30,000 more collectively for the Ferrisburgh and Vergennes fire departments and the Vergennes Area Rescue Service and an additional $70,000 in road spending. The additional budgeted money for the highway department included increases for paving, wages, diesel fuel, sand and salt, and equipment maintenance.
Residents from the floor also approved a separate article asking for $70,000 for a truck with plow and sander attachments, to be paid off over five years.
Coupled with slightly higher requests approved for nonprofit donations, final town spending will reach about $2.1 million. Ferrisburgh officials estimated approval of all the spending measures on Saturday would add almost 2 cents to the municipal portion of the Ferrisburgh tax rate, which will approach 31 cents.
In uncontested voting former Charlotte selectman and Vermont Farm Bureau president Clark Hinsdale III won election to replace Selectman Steve Gutowski, who stepped down after years of service.  
Incumbent Selectman Jim Benoit and Addison Northwest School District board member George Gardner also were unopposed on the ballot and will return to their boards.  
Residents in Ferrisburgh and the other four Addison Northwest School District communities on Town Meeting day also voted, 672-665, in commingled balloting in favor of a 2019-2020 budget of $22,139,341 to fund the four ANWSD schools and the district’s share of Hannaford Career Center spending. 
After a year of level district spending, that proposed budget will increase spending by about $1.03 million, or 4.89 percent.
They also voted in favor of putting funds from an earlier surplus in a capital reserve fund and other articles simplifying ANWSD operating procedures.