CHESTER — Town Administrator Donald Humason doesn’t think this year’s Town Meeting warrant will be that controversial.
“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “There’s no particularly controversial matters or anything. It’s just typical town business.”
Humason was speaking about a draft warrant. The number of articles and monetary amounts might differ from the final document, which was approved by the Board of Selectman after The Pennysaver’s deadline. The final warrant should be available at townofchester.net.
As of May 30, the proposed fiscal year 2025 operating budget was $3.63 million, an increase of 3.7% from the current year. Insurance costs make up the largest increases, Humason said. Property, casualty, and liability insurance went up 52.5% due to increased appraisals on town buildings, while Medicare and FICA costs went up 52.2%.
Unemployment compensation went up 233.3%, from $9,000 to $30,000. Humason attributes this to the state Department of Unemployment Assistance now needing to replenish funds after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During COVID, there were a lot of unemployed people,” Humason.
The school budget — Chester’s contribution to the Gateway Regional School District — increased 2.36% from $1.61 million to $1.64 million.
The town also hopes to add $10,000 to its land court fee fund, a 200% increase.
“The town has been going after property owners who have properties that are decrepit and we’re trying to either get them to fix up their properties or sell their properties to people who will,” Humason said.
Some budget items were decreased, such as insurance and maintenance for the vacant old elementary school, which decreased 75%. Town Hall maintenance costs decreased 25%.
On the budget as a whole, Humason said, “There’s not that much to it that’s different. It’s pretty standard and does not increase drastically except those insurance line items that we can’t control.”
Elsewhere on the Town Meeting warrant, Humason said there were no bylaw changes or major equipment purchases for voters to approve. The largest outlay will be an article appropriating $10,000 to create a Highway Department training fund. The fund would reimburse employees who get advanced training on the department’s equipment.
“[It’s] a way of keeping our workforce up-to-date and permitted and licensed to do other work with the Highway Department,” he said.
Also of interest is an article to acquire the Cornerstone Church property near Town Hall. Because of the property’s history, Humason said, the town is able to acquire it for little to no cost, other than maintenance and insurance. Potential uses include as a Town Hall annex or a home for the Council on Aging.
Town Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, June 10, at Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Rd., Chester.
