Voters in Mont Vernon discuss town budget

Thursday, February 11, 2010

MONT VERNON – A handful of residents bantered back and forth about the town’s proposed operating budget and several other articles on this year’s town warrant at Monday night’s public hearing.

When the hearing and adjustments by selectmen were complete, the final proposed budget figure for 2010 stands at $1.93 million, the number that now goes to voters at the March 9 Town Meeting. The figure is roughly $10,500 less than the original proposed budget, and represents an increase of about $16,100, or 0.8 percent, over the 2009 budget.

Selectmen made a slight change to one of the other warrant articles, Article 4, which calls for funds to repair the town’s historic 1852 McCollom Building. Instead of asking for the entire $40,000 in 2010, selectmen adopted Chairman John Quinlan’s proposal to request $20,000 for 2010 and the other $20,000 in 2011.

The biggest changes to the operating budget were the reduction of the proposed town clerk’s salary from the requested $18,000 to $9,500, which is roughly $2,000 higher than in the 2009 budget. Town Clerk Jeanette Vinton asked selectmen to send the $18,000 figure to voters, saying “I want to allow voters to decide on this rather than have the budget committee and selectmen decide.”

She noted the substantial increase in her hours and job duties over the past decade. “It’s not the same job it used to be,” Vinton said. “I think it’s time to bring the salary up to where it should be for the holder of this office.”

A Public Works department request to add $9,800 to its budget for six new tires for the town’s grader was trimmed to $5,000, rounding out the short list of significant changes.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 673-3100 Ext. 31 or dshalhoup@cabinet.com.