BRISTOL — In addition to weighing in on school district budgets and electing town officials, Bristol residents on Town Meeting Day will also vote on whether to establish a local option tax in their community.

Article 3 on Bristol’s town meeting warning asks if voters should approve the 1% levy on sales, meals, rooms and alcohol for the town of Bristol, with proceeds raised through the tax designated “for Capital Infrastructure (minimum 40%), Climate Resilience & Emergency Preparedness (minimum 20%), and Economic Development (minimum 20%).”

Voters will field that question by Australian ballot on March 3, and more information on the proposal can be found at www.bristolvt.org/lot.

Also on the March 3 ballot, Bristol selectboard incumbents Michelle Perlee (three-year term) and Jessica Teets (two-year term) are running unopposed to keep their seats.

Mike Dash is the sole candidate for a three-year term on the Mount Abraham Unified School District Board. Dash currently serves as vice chair on the school board.

At the polls, Bristol residents living in the police district (primarily the village) will consider a proposed fiscal year 2027 police spending plan of around $701,116 — an increase of 1.88%, or $12,947, from the current year.

Bristol voters on Town Meeting Day will also be asked to approve a $37,862,780 MAUSD spending plan for the 2026-2027 school year. The proposal reflects an increase of a rise of 8.51%, or $2,968,337, over the current year.

District officials estimate that the proposed budget, if approved, would translate to a 1.93-cent decrease in Bristol’s FY27 school tax rate after the CLA is applied for those who pay education taxes based on the value of their home. Residents who pay based on their income are expected to see a decrease of 12.1% based on the median household income for the area ($88,478).

Bristol residents will also field a Patricia Hannaford Career Center FY27 budget of $6,271,916 to deliver vocational-technical education to Addison County students, an ask that represents a 9.95% increase compared to this year.

Voting by Australian ballot to elect town and school officers and approve the police and school district budgets will take place on Tuesday, March 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Holley Hall.

Bristol will hold its annual in-person town meeting on Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m. in Holley Hall.

At that meeting, residents will be asked from the floor to OK:

• A General Fund Operating Budget of around $1,407,887, with about $1,215,907 to be raised by taxes. That amount includes appropriations for the town’s capital building and maintenance, capital sidewalk, capital technology, cemetery reserve, conservation reserve and reappraisal funds.
• A Public Works Department Operating Budget of around $1,404,341, with about $1,289,341 to be raised by taxes. That figure includes capital appropriations for the capital equipment, capital paving and capital road funds.
• An Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department Budget of $381,317.72, with $237,517.72 to be raised in taxes. That includes capital appropriations for the capital recreation equipment and facilities and skatepark project funds.
• A Fire Department Budget of $505,073, all of which would be raised by taxes. That includes capital appropriations for the capital fire equipment and the capital fire vehicle funds.
• A total of around $435,726 in appropriations for civic organizations, including the Lawrence Memorial Library ($265,275).

Altogether, the proposed town budget for FY27 reflects an increase of around $324,373 in total spending and an increase of about $324,323 (9.65%) in the amount supported by taxes.

Bristol is one of several local towns that will vote on a non-binding resolution asking whether voters should “call upon the General Assembly to discuss, take testimony, and vote on H.433 during the 2026 session?” H.433 is a bill in the Vermont Legislature that aims to implement a publicly financed health care program for all Vermonters, beginning with universal primary care. Voters will weigh in on the resolution from the floor at the Bristol town meeting.