Shipping and supply line delays and contracted services are the driving force behind projected budget increases, according to Rindge department heads.
During a joint session between the Select Board and the Budget Advisory Committee Wednesday, the boards reviewed eight department budget operating proposals in one of the first looks at the 2022 budget.
While the majority of departments were reporting only small increases or flat budgets during this first look, the discussions left out the largest town expense, employee salaries, until the Select Board has further discussions about cost-of-living adjustments or merit wage increases.
Of the departments the boards reviewed on Wednesday, the Highway Department is expected to have the highest increase at $35,000 – about 17 percent over last year’s default budget of $208,411. The majority of that increase is in the cost of salt and sand, which have both increased, according to Public Works Director Mike Cloutier, and the increasing cost of diesel fuel.
“It is a huge increase,” Cloutier acknowledged. “This is one of those increases we never expected, but we’re not going to be the only town in this boat.”
Some of the increase may be offset by expected reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an emergency response to torrential rainstorms in July which caused flooding and road damage.
The other large increase discussed Wednesday was in the town’s solid waste disposal. Contracted services to haul the town’s solid waste is expected to increase by $33,260 to $79,200. This is more than a 70 percent increase from last year, when the cost for contracted services was budgeted at $46,000. Cloutier explained the town is at the end of its five-year contract with its current disposal company, and costs have increased in that time. Cloutier negotiated with the company for a flat rate, rather than individual fees for fuel and trucking for each disposal run.
The operational costs for town buildings is expected to go up by about $7,000, most of which represents the cost of maintenance on the five generators attached to town buildings.
The boards also reviewed budgets for the town clerk’s office, town cemeteries, highway projects, street lighting, the recreation department, parks and playgrounds, and the library, none of which were projecting increases of more than $2,000.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.