The proposed $59 million Yarmouth town budget for the new year is up about 7%.
The proposal, $3.9 million more than this year’s budget, would increase town tax bills by nearly 9%.
The municipal portion of the property tax rate would increase $2, resulting in an additional $200 per year per $100,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $500,000 in Yarmouth, for example, would pay $1,000 more in property taxes.
“The town’s municipal expenditures are a bit like a layered cake,” Town Manager Scott LaFlamme said at a May 2 meeting. “There are various different pockets of departments and financial needs.”
The major budget driver for the FY25 budget is wages and salaries, LaFlamme said. Wages and salaries for town employees represent about $6.6 million or 37% of municipal expenses.
The town also hired a full-time human resources director at the end of April.
“This is something that has been advocated for for decades,” LaFlamme said.
The proposed $39.4 million Yarmouth School Department budget for the new school year is up about 7.7%, or $2.8 million over last year.
School budget priorities include relevant and appropriately challenging curriculum and programming, early childhood education, support and equity of opportunities for all learners and multiple pathways to secondary education.
“We continue to keep a focus on school culture and climate, and on programming and resources,” Finance Committee Chair Newell Augur said.
A major budget driver for the Yarmouth School District is salaries and benefits for staff, Augur said. Eighty percent of the operating budget is tied to personal costs like salaries.
Proposed additions to the FY25 budget include a Pre-K transition to full-day learning, a special education teacher at Yarmouth Elementary School and substitute teachers.
A town meeting will be held on June 4 to further discuss the town budgets. The referendum vote will be held on June 11.
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