WALTHAM — Voters in the town of about 450 will head to the Waltham Town Hall on March 2 at 6 p.m. to discuss and vote on everything from town spending to funding for social service agencies to nominations for elected officials.

Unlike in other towns, residents will make all of these decisions from the floor that night, rather than by Australian ballot the next day.

Waltham residents will consider spending plans for three areas:

• General fund spending of $180,960, up about 4.4% from $173,281 last year.

• Highway fund spending of $135,100, up almost 17% from $115,645 last year.

• Capital funding of $114,000, up 293% from $29,000 last year

The total amount of money proposed to be raised by taxes to cover these three funds is $402,266, up from $296,167 in fiscal year 2026.

The $85,000 increase in capital funding is all for the highway capital reserve fund, according to Selectboard Chair Rhonda Williams.

“Due to changes in state funding for town highways, the selectboard is proposing an increase of $85,000 to our highway capital reserve fund. If approved, this additional sum will allow the town to save in reserve the monies that we will need to take on needed, substantial paving and culvert projects that are part of our capital planning process,” she explained.

“That sum will be voted on in Article 8 separate from our base proposed budget. In addition to that change, the base highway budget projects an increase of 16.8% to our highway budget to cover the increased cost of salt, sand and other annual highway maintenance expenses.”

The town is also proposing a $10,692 expenditure to support Vergennes’s Bixby Library.

If approved, 18 social service agencies are slated to receive $4,849 in support from the town. Addison County Home Health and Hospice has the largest request ($579). Age Well, Addison County Parent Child Center, the American Legion Post and the Atria Collective will each get $500 if the current plan is approved by voters. The bus service Tri-Valley Transit could get $320.

The other 12 organizations could receive between $50-$300.

Williams is the only selectboard member whose term is up. She said in an email to the Independent that she is hoping to be nominated and reelected.

The only decision on tap for Waltham residents during voting on March 3 is the proposed Addison Northwest School District budget.

Officials say they will need $28,314,179 to operate in the fiscal year beginning July 1, up from the $27,653,000 in ANWSD spending plan that voters in Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vergennes and Waltham approved on Town Meeting Day last year.

The tax rate won’t be concrete until a state budget is passed and state aid is known, according to the school board chair. Still, the school board has outlined illustrative tax estimates if the spending plan is passed as warned. This would mean a Waltham homestead tax rate of $1.2016 per $100 of assessed property value, up about 5% from $1.1436. This would increase property taxes $60 per $100,000 of assessed value.

The ANWSD Annual Meeting and Public Information Hearing on this budget is scheduled for March 2 at 6 p.m. at the VUHS library.

School budget voting for Waltham residents will be Tuesday in the town hall, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.