STARKSBORO — Starksboro voters on Town Meeting Day will decide a two-person race for a two-year seat on the Starksboro selectboard. David Rousseau and incumbent Koran Cousino are running for that spot on the board.

There aren’t any other contested races for school board and selectboard seats on Starksboro’s March 3 ballot.

Selectboard member Carin H. McCarthy is running unopposed for a three-year term, and incumbent Tony Porter is uncontested in a race for the two years remaining on a three-year term on the board.

Kristen Toy is unopposed in the election for a three-year term for Starksboro’s lone seat on the Mount Abraham Unified School District Board.

Voting by Australian ballot to elect town and school officers and to adopt the career center and school district budgets will take place on Tuesday, March 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Robinson Elementary School.

Starksboro will hold its annual town meeting in the same location on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 9 a.m.

Voters will be asked to approve:

• $1,371,119 in town spending, an increase of $155,200 from what was proposed last year, with $1,071,257 to be raised by taxes.
• $73,781for the Fire Equipment Reserve Fund, an increase of $6,092.
• $134,095 for the Road Equipment Reserve Fund, up $7,590.
• The use of $35,000 from the Unassigned General Fund Balance for repairs and maintenance of town buildings.
• $64,115.58 for the Starksboro Public Library.
• $1,500 for the Bristol 4th of July Committee to support its annual Independence Day celebration and parade.

Article 14 asks voters to appropriate a total of $109,357 for 37 local nonprofits servibg Starksboro residents.

Also on the town meeting warning: Article 11 asks if, “In light of actions taken by the Board of the Mount Abraham Unified School District (MAUSD) potentially to close Robinson Elementary School, shall the voters of the Town of Starksboro authorize the community to determine and then inform voters of the steps required (which would include a future vote by the Town’s voters) to withdraw from MAUSD as provided in 16 V.S.A §724.”

MAUSD has been exploring a handful of educational delivery models as part of an effort to reduce costs while continuing to offer quality programming. A couple of the options being evaluated could lead to a vote on whether to close a couple of the district’s elementary schools, potentially including Robinson Elementary.

Article 12 asks if voters should “vote at a special or regular meeting to adopt proposed amendments to the Town Plan or zoning bylaws by Australian Ballot in lieu of the selectboard.”

On Town Meeting Day, Starksboro residents 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 8.51%, or $2,968,337, over the current year.

District officials estimate the proposed budget, if approved, would translate to a 14.42-cent increase in Starksboro’s FY27 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).

Starksboro 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.