An article published in the Monadnock Ledger Transcript Jan. 27 reported that Dublin’s town budget will increase by 11.5%. The article was substantially correct with the information available at that time. However, the most-recent information is that Dublin taxpayers will pay a 10.5% increase in the operating budget, and that increase does not include the Select Board’s proposed warrant articles for fiscal 2022.
The proposed warrant articles (funded by tax dollars) for the upcoming year are $324,214 higher than last year. To put it in perspective, this is a 44.6% increase over their last year’s proposed warrant articles. When the articles are combined with the operating budget, this works out to an 18.6% increase in our total budget for fiscal 2022. It’s important to note, this does not include any anticipated increases in state, county or school taxes. This will be an additional $2.08 per $1,000 on the assessed value. In other words, if a property is assessed at $300.000, it will see an additional $624 to cover the increases alone in the Select Board’s proposed 2022 gross town budget.
With the challenges so many families are currently facing, this is not the time to be raising taxes. We the voters have the final say to approve or disapprove the Select Board’s proposal. I urge people to attend our annual Town Meeting Saturday, March 12, to support a motion to limit the town’s operating budget for fiscal 2022 to a 3% increase over last year’s operating budget and a motion to postpone Articles 7 and 8 until the 2023 Town Meeting.
Residents may obtain a copy of the Select Board’s proposed budget and warrant articles at the town office. This information is also available on the Town of Dublin website.
Allan Geoffrey Pinney
Dublin