Hot topic: Andover residents will have to decide if they want to spend $244,257 to remove and repair the damaged culvert on Elbow Pond Road.
About 75 percent of the cost will come from the fund balance, but town officials say that money will be reimbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the warrant.
The rest of the money will come from the Bridge Rehabilitation Capital Reserve Fund.
Budget: The proposed operating budget is $1.85 million, up about $200,000 from last year’s budget of $1.83 million.
The increase is scatted across various departments. Public safety agencies would take up about a quarter: the ambulance budget line would increase by about $34,450; the police department budget would increase by $19,500.
The highway and streets department would see an increase of about $19,000.
Other departments, like parks and recreations and sanitation, are seeing decreases of anywhere between $2,000 to $10,000.
Town administration did not provide an estimate on how much the increase would impact the tax rate. But using the Department of Revenue Administration’s “three-finger rule,” the increase will raise the tax rate an estimated 81 cents, not taking into account any potential offsetting revenue. That’s about $202 on a home worth $250,000.
The budget is not approved by the select board, whose proposed budget is about $100,000 higher, according to the warrant.
Noteworthy articles: Aside from the budget, the select board and the committee agree on all other warrant issues.
That includes putting $243,000 into various capital reserve funds. About $150,000 of that amount would go into a fund for highway projects; another $50,000 would go into bridge rehabilitation. The rest would be spread across funds for a highway grader, a police cruiser and transfer station equipment.
The town will have to decide if they want to allow Keno 603 to be played within their town borders.
Residents will also vote on whether to discontinue the elected road agent position and direct the select board to appoint an expert highway agent instead.
When and where: The town meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Ballot voting will take place between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. the same day at the elementary school.
Monitor staff