WHITING — Residents of Whiting who gather for the annual town meeting next Tuesday evening will consider a town spending plan that proposes a 2.8% increase in expenditures, but the amount of tax dollars needed to support the bigger budget would increase by almost 9.3%.

The selectboard has warned a town spending plan of $529,590, which represents an increase of $14,297 over the current year. That would require the town to seek $345,395 in property taxes in the coming year. That compares to $316,098 in taxes OK’d last year, or a hike of $29,297.

Town Clerk Heather Bouchard told the Independent that prices of everything are going up, and the selectboard tried to keep the increase in check — particularly, she said, with school taxes likely to rurge.

Town spending is discussed and voted on from the floor of town meeting.

Nine town officials will be up for election, when residents gather at 7:15 p.m. in the town hall on March 3. Whiting nominates and votes on town offices from the floor of town meeting. The open seats in question are: three-year term on the selectboard (Steve Quenneville, incumbent); three-year term for town clerk and town treasurer (that’s two job and incumbent Heather Bouchard said she is interested in keeping those positions); three-year term for lister (Stacey Freeguard, incumbent); one-year term for lister (vacant); three-year-term for auditor (Suzanne Denis incumbent); collect of delinquent taxes for one year (Rani Fallon incumbent); and two three-year seats on the library board (incumbents are Peg Allen and Tammy Wilbury).

Whiting voters will join their peers in Leicester, Brandon, Goshen, Sudbury and Pittsford in casting ballots on the budget and board members representing the Otter Valley Unified Union schools. The board warned a FY27 spending plan of $28,841,999, which is an increase of $818,286, or 2.92%. The budget reflects $14,257 in per-pupil education spending — up about $5.5% from this year.

Brandon will also be voting on an OVUU school director position for a three-year term, plus three at-large school board seats — two with a three-year term, and one to serve one year of a now-vacant three-year term.

Whiting will also be voting on an OVUU school director position to serve out the last year on a three-year term that opened up, plus three at-large school board seats — two with a three-year term, and one to serve one year of a now-vacant three-year term.