CORNWALL — Cornwall residents at their town meeting next week will decide a contested race for the selectboard and determine how to address a $56,896 budget deficit carried over from the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
The deficit, Town Clerk Sue Johnson noted, is primarily associated with a lag in the collection of delinquent taxes. This will most likely require a vote at town meeting to make up the deficit by raising taxes.
The lone race on the ballot features Magna L. Dodge versus Brian Kemp for a one-year spot on the selectboard.
Cornwall officials are proposing a fiscal year 2016 general fund budget of $486,610. That’s down slightly from the $487,511 that residents approved for the current year.
The highway spending request comes in at $400,250, up slightly from the $394,450 that residents approved last year.
Johnson credited the town’s planning and savings practices for local capital projects as a big reason why this year’s general fund and highway requests have been held in check.
Cornwall school directors are proposing a Bingham Memorial School budget of $1,497,298, which is 3.17 percent more than this year’s spending plan. But the resulting K-12 education property tax rate is expected to increase by 5.7 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $1.649. Cornwall’s enrollment — currently 77 — is expected to remain fairly stable next year.
Other articles on the 2015 town meeting warning seek:
•  $57,400 in funding for the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department.
•  $4,000 for the Cornwall Free Public Library.
•  A combined total of $22,256 for various Addison County-based social service organizations and charitable causes.
Those running unopposed for local offices include Cy Tall for one year as town moderator; Sue Johnson, three years as town clerk and treasurer; John Roberts, three years as selectman; Ben Wood, two years as selectman; and Maureen Deppman and Kristianne Tolgyesi, three years and two years, respectively, on the Cornwall school board. Also, Sarah Kemp is seeking to fill the one-year balance of an unexpired term on the Cornwall school board.
The Cornwall annual town and school meetings will take place on Monday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bingham Memorial School. Australian ballot voting will take place the next day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the town hall.