The Jaffrey town budget proposal is set at $6.87 million, a 5.7% increase from the current budget.
Budget Committee Chair Norman Langevin said the increase is below the national inflation average, which is just under 7%.
Major factors in the $372,898 increase include fixed costs such as the town’s contribution to the state’s retirement find, which is about $51,793, and $99,000 for repayment of the bond for broadband internet. Select Board Chair Franklin Sterling assured residents that the cost of the Internet bond does not have an impact on the tax rate, as it is paid back through a user fee.
There is also a $125,949 increase attributed to cost-of-living pay adjustments for town employees, as well as other salary changes for new employees.
“Not bad for the number of employees we have in town. As everyone is seeing in the market, everyone is really increasing prices to try to attract employees,” Langevin said.
If the budget and all warrant articles pass at Town Meeting in April, Langevin said it is estimated the town’s portion of the tax rate will increase from $10.16 per $1,000 of valuation to $10.51 per $1,000, or a 3.4% increase.
“It’s not a bad budget for the town, and something I feel we can all absorb,” Langevin said.
Following the town’s budget hearing Saturday, the town made its final review of the budget, including a contested cut to the budget proposal for Jaffrey Public Library.
The library requested a budget this year of $350,796, which is about a 6.5% increase from the current budget. During the budgeting process, town officials reduced that request – along with percentage reductions throughout the budget – by about $10,800.
Library trustees who attended the hearing advocated for the board to return to the department’s original request.
“We’re looking at a difference of $10,000, which does not sound like a huge amount, but there is always a break point,” said trustee Grace Fletcher.
Fletcher said the library trustees were looking at avenues which included reducing hours, not filling an empty staff position or closing one day of the week to accommodate the town’s proposed budget.
“That $10,000 is enough that we don’t know what we can do to provide the level of service the town is used to. Something has to give. There’s no place for us to make this balance,” she said.
Budget Committee members discussed the library budget in a meeting directly following the budget hearing before voting 4-3 not to increase the library’s budget.
Ballot voting in Jaffrey is scheduled at the Conant High School Pratt Auditorium Tuesday, March 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The remainder of Town Meeting is scheduled to be held April 23 at the Hope Fellowship parking lot.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.