Selectboard, SCS Board present budgets to Shelburne residents

By Heather McKim

Jan. 13 was the setting for the annual joint meeting between the Shelburne Selectboard and Shelburne Community School (SCS) Board. This provided an opportunity for the municipal and school budgets to be publicly presented.

During his report, Town Manager Joe Colangelo said that the new website for Shelburne is close to being ready and will be launched soon.

The Selectboard and school board alternate as to who presents first. This year, first up were the schools. Budgets for the SCS and Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) were presented first. For the former, the proposed budget is $12,999,947; this is an increase of 4.89 percent from last year. The CVU proposed budget is $21,983,502; a decrease of 1.87 percent from last year.

For SCS, the costs have gone up due to an increased student population, an addition of a middle school track program, an increase in health care costs, increased employee salaries, and other factors. SCS Board Chair Dave Connery said that there have been some reductions in an effort to maintain the equalized per pupil spending increase at less than 3 percent.

“This is the largest percentage increase over the last six years,” Connery said adding that, at the same time, there is “not much fat in the budget.”

There will be a bond issue for $11.2 million to address issues at the school. This amount, which would take 20 years to repay, would accomplish: roof replacement, renovation of 20 classrooms, new central corridor, upgrades to the fire alarms and sprinklers, upgraded security system, and more.

Despite adding several items to the school budget, CVU managed to decrease its budget from last year. Driving factors for the budget, CVU Board Chair Susan Grasso said, are special education, salaries, and benefits.

One CVU issue that will be put before voters is a $700,000 bond to partially fund an artificial turf field. If voters approve the bond, it will be up to the school board and concerned community members to fund the remainder of the cost for the field.

For the municipal budget, the total amount is $7,485,529. This is divided between $7,454,229 for the town budget, $6,300 for Selectboard stipends, and $25,000 for the Open Space Fund.

The town budget is divided between $2,207,810 for Police & Dispatch, $1,305,334 for Highway, $371,333 for Library, $194,011 for the Fire Department, $319,902 for Recreation and $41,389 for Social Services.

Also addressed at Tuesday’s meeting were project applications to the fiscal year 2016 Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission’s (CCRPC) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). One of the projects is a village transportation study that would provide a more comprehensive look at transportation needs within the village.

The next Selectboard meeting will be Jan. 27. At that time, the Selectboard will set the warning for Town Meeting.