WALES — Superintendent Jim Hodgkin presented a revised Regional School Unit 4 budget of $18,564,945, reduced $51,000 from the budget rejected last month, to approximately 44 voters at the town meeting Wednesday evening.
Hodgkin opened the meeting with a short presentation explaining how the reduced budget had been configured and expressed his satisfaction in the decisions of the RSU 4 board of directors. As Hodgkin pointed out, since the inception of RSU 4 approximately six years ago, the budget has only increased by an average of 1.47 percent.
All of the 16 articles passed resulting in a proposed budget of $18,564,945 for fiscal year 2015-2016, a $51,000 reduction compared to the budget that voters rejected last month.
This reduced budget was comprised of a $5,000 decrease in technology costs, a $16,000 cut to the maintenance of sports fields and $30,000 originally allocated for the lease-to-purchase of a school bus. In addition, the district received an additional $176,896 from the state as part of the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, passed by the Legislature earlier this month.
If the budget is approved, the tax savings on a home worth $100,000 would be $8.45 per year for Litchfield residents, $26.39 per year for Sabattus residents, and $20.11 per year for Wales residents.
The budget will go to a referendum vote on Tuesday, July 28, at the town halls in Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
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