LINCOLN — The annual town and school district meetings in Lincoln will see some changes this year.

Both of those gatherings will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. at Burnham Hall, with the Lincoln School District holding its annual meeting during a recess of the town gathering that morning. Lincoln has previously held the annual gatherings on the Monday evening prior to Town Meeting Day.

Also new at this year’s meetings, Lincoln voters will use a new electronic voting method to weigh in on articles from the floor. Town Clerk Sally Ober has noted the system consists of clickers that will be distributed to voters at the annual gathering. When voting on an article, residents would click “yes” or “no,” with results appearing on a screen. Instructions for using the clickers are included in the Town Report.

During the town meeting, Lincoln voters will be asked to approve $711,988 in general fund spending, an increase of 1.91% over the current year. If approved, the amount supported by taxes would be $562,165.

Proposed highway fund spending would decrease by 2.15%, to $1,132,948, with $1,015,301 to be raised in taxes.

Residents will again be asked whether the town should adopt its general fund and highway fund budgets by Australian ballot beginning in 2027. Those questions are Articles 6 and 7 on the warning, respectively.

Article 8 asks if the town should “vote to authorize a transfer for further restoration and improvement of existing Class 2 asphalt surface town highways, to be deposited in the paving reserve fund by Australian ballot beginning in 2027?”

Other articles on the Town Meeting Day warning ask voters to approve 28 voted appropriations to local organizations totaling $153,390, including $44,000 for the Lincoln Library and $56,000 for the Lincoln Volunteer Fire Company.

During the Lincoln School District’s annual meeting, voters will be asked to OK a $5,407,140 spending plan for fiscal year 2027, an increase of 4.4% over the current year.

District officials currently estimate that, if approved, that spending plan would translate to a 7.7% increase in Lincoln’s homestead tax rate, to $1.1326 per $100 of assessed property value.

School officials noted around two-thirds of Vermonters qualify for a credit on their homestead property taxes based on their income.

“Overall, depending on individual circumstances with respect to changes in income and property value, we estimate an increase in net tax (after the credit is applied) between 2.5% and 3.5% for incomes below $90,000 and an increase between 3.5% and 5.5% for incomes above $90,000,” school officials stated in the town report.

Voting by Australian ballot to elect town and school officers will take place on Tuesday, March 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Burnham Hall.

On the March 3 ballot, Deborah Lubar is running unopposed for a three-year seat on the Lincoln School Board previously held by Rob Backlund, who announced he would not seek re-election.

School board member Peg Sutlive is running uncontested for another two-year term.

As for the Lincoln selectboard seats on the ballot, incumbent Tim McGowan (three-year term) won’t face any challengers in a bid for re-election. Lori Atkins is the only candidate running for a two-year seat.