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Westport Island officials outline draft budget and key warrant requests, ask to use surplus to avoid corrected tax bills
Summary
Select board members presented a draft municipal budget highlighting increased property and roads spending, requested permission for a $165,750 property revaluation (phased funding), and asked to transfer $194,274.92 from surplus to avoid issuing corrective tax bills after a calculation error.
The Chair of the Select Board presented the town's draft budget and a slate of warrant articles at a public meeting, warning that the document was still a draft and that some figures would be finalized before the town meeting. He said county tax is set at about 13% and therefore beyond local control and that the town's so-called discretionary budget is largely accounted for by roads (roughly 41 percent) and essential services, leaving less flexibility than the label suggests.
The board described three personnel and contract-related warrant items. Article 15 would fund an assessor's agent position paid at the bid amount the board received; the chief presenter noted the single received bid covered the coming fiscal year. “We're asking for $21,000 pay an assessor's agent for the coming fiscal year,” the Chair said in explaining the item. Article 16 asks permission to solicit a three-year contract for that agent to improve consistency and potentially reduce annual contracting costs.
On Article 17 the board reported only one responsive bid for a full town revaluation (identified in the packet as $165,750). The board asked permission to enter that contract and to stagger funding so the town spreads the cost over two tax years. “Article 17 is looking for permission to enter the contract for a full revaluation,” the Chair said, adding that the revaluation is intended to bring property values closer to the state's 100 percent standard and protect homestead-exemption reimbursements.
The meeting also addressed what the board described as an honest calculation error on last year's tax commitment that left a shortfall of $194,274.92. Rather than sending corrective tax bills, the board presented Article 61 requesting permission to transfer that sum from the town surplus. Officials said auditors reviewed options and recommended using surplus; the board reported the transfer would leave an estimated surplus balance in the $400,000 range, within auditors' recommended 10–12 percent reserve.
Planning board business relating to ordinance updates and several housekeeping items was reported to the meeting and the planning board moved, seconded and voted unanimously to recommend placing those ordinance changes on the town warrant.
Next steps: the board will present final warrant language and amounts at the town meeting and expects voters to consider the revaluation contract permission, the proposed personnel/contract authority changes, and the requested surplus transfer.
