WOOLWICH
Woolwich residents will be voting on a $1.5 million municipal budget at their Town Meeting on Saturday.
Despite a decrease of $7,305 in this year’s spending plan, Town Administrator Lynette Eastman said on Thursday that it was likely that the town’s assessed value would still increase. She said the town did not yet have an updated estimate for the tax rate this year.
Woolwich’s tax rate is currently at $14.20 per $1,000 of assessed value. The owner of a home assessed at $273,100 would pay $3,878.
The town’s overall spending plan also reflects an increase of $4,707 in county tax appropriations, which amounts to $699,018 this year. Woolwich’s contribution to the Regional School Unit 1 budget has also increased $139,004, or 3.7 percent, from $3.7 million to $3.9 million this year.
On Saturday, more than 30 warrant articles will go before voters for approval.
Due to a citizen petition that was submitted in March, residents will be asked to consider adopting another pay-per-bag waste plan, a topic that has caused much contention throughout the past year.
Pay As You Throw, a trash program that was narrowly approved at last year’s Town Meeting, was overthrown after a referendum vote in November. The program officially ended in late January.
If the article passes, much like PAYT, residents will be required to purchase 15-gallon bags for $1 and 30-gallon bags for $2 to dispose of their waste.
Members of the Woolwich selectboard have expressed that while they “take seriously citizen petitions,” the board “will not entertain any petitions on this for a year,” according to an opinion letter sent to The Times Record.
Other items on the warrant include raising funds to hire Pine Tree Engineering to explore some options for improving the Nequasset Park swimming area. Residents will also be asked to consider creating a new Woolwich Recreation Department, which will also absorb the Woolwich Junior Athletics program, and to appropriate $7,000 for the program’s initial year.
Town Meeting will take place at Woolwich Central School on Saturday. Doors will open at 8 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 9 a.m.
dkim@timesrecord.com
In Woolwich
• TOWN MEETING will take place at Woolwich Central School on Saturday. Doors open at 8 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. More than 30 warrant articles will go before voters for approval.
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