The Recorder – Spike in school budget among Hawley Town Meeting considerations

HAWLEY – Annual Town Meeting voters will see a $ 549,260 town government budget request for fiscal year 2023 and an overall $ 622,434 request for school costs when they meet Monday night at 7 pm at the Town Offices to consider a 21-article warrant.

The biggest budget increase is a 16% assessment hike for the Hawlemont Regional School District, now that Heath is no longer sending its preschool to sixth-grade students there. The district lost about $ 296,000 in tuition after Heath’s departure. Although the school’s operating budget has been cut by $ 215,700, Hawley’s assessment represents a $ 38,866 increase over last year’s school assessment of $ 250,536.

The Mohawk Trail Regional School District assessment, for Hawley students in grades seven through 12, is $ 206,499 – a 2.21% increase. Vocational school costs for the coming school year are $ 103,000.

According to the warrant, other spending requests are as follows:

$ 10,000 to repave the Fire Station driveway.

$ 7,500 for ambulance services.

■ transferring $ 10,000 from free cash into each of these four stabilization accounts: Highway Department, General, Fire Department and Vocational School.

A $ 50,000 transfer from free cash reserves will be used to reduce the FY23 tax rate.

Other free cash transfers will be used to pay for the following: $ 450 for Highway Department equipment; $ 2,500 for Department of Public Works garage maintenance and repairs; and $ 505 for property and liability insurance.

For an online copy of the warrant, visit bit.ly/3vPl4zk.