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MARCH 7, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Voters deliver their completed ballots to be machine-tabulated during Tuesday’s Town Meeting Day election at the National Guard Armory on Williston Road.
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Dave Edwards peruses the town report on Town Meeting Day at Williston Central School on Monday evening. PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
School board chair Angela Arsenault, left, and Superintendent Rene Sanchez discuss the particulars of the Champlain Valley School District budget for voters Monday evening at Williston Central School. OBSERVER PHOTO BY SUSAN COTE
School, town budgets defeated at Town Meeting Day OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Voters rejected both the Town of Williston and Champlain Valley School District budget proposals Tuesday, compelling both entities to reduce their spending plans for a revote this spring. The projected increase in property taxes associated with the proposals proved to be more than a majority of voters were willing to take on. It was the first budget defeat in recent town history and the first school budget defeat since the 2017 district merger that created the Champlain Valley School District (CVSD). Roughly 2,800 Williston voters cast ballots in the Town Meeting Day election, about 32 percent of the total registered voter list. One longtime Williston property owner, interviewed after voting Tuesday, said it was his first time voting against a school budget. He joined 5,090 other voters
throughout the five-town district in voting down the proposal. “There seems to be a lack of clarity in terms of what the tax implications are going to be for property owners, but what is coming
“It’s not anyone’s fault but the system is not working the way it should.” Charlie Carpenter Williston voter
through is that there is going to be a major property tax increase,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “We pay quite a bit already. It just seems it’s always going up.” CVSD’s $106 million budget proposal would have increased spending about $10 million over the current fiscal year and in-
creased property taxes between 19-26 percent, according to school administrators’ estimates. The spending increase was attributable to a 4-6 percent increase in teacher and staff salaries, a 16 percent increase in staff health insurance costs, the retention of 17 school counselors, social workers and English language tutors that were originally funded through federal pandemic recovery grants, and general inflation. The associated tax increase was calculated using the most recent statewide school funding formula, tweaked under legislation expedited through the lawmaking process in recent weeks. “It’s not anyone’s fault but the system is not working the way it should,” voter Charlie Carpenter said Tuesday. “I’m a property owner and I don’t want my taxes to go up 20 percent. I think the whole state needs to take another look at how the system is working.” The tax increase didn’t sway
voter Kim Hornung-Marcy, who supported the school budget along with 3,391 others in the district. “I was happy to support education, teachers and kids,” she said. “I’m sorry it’s so expensive, but these are issues that are nationwide — inflation and health care costs — that we don’t deal with on a national level.” The school board plans to dis-
cuss potential budget reductions at a 6 p.m. meeting at Champlain Valley Union High School on March 12, according to CVSD Superintendent Rene Sanchez. He expects a revote to take place in mid-April. “While we are disappointed in the election results, we appreciate the insight we gained from our see TOWN MEETING page 3
Town Meeting Day results CVSD budget Town budget
NO 5,090 1,494
YES 3,391 1,285
Results are preliminary reported by the Williston Town Clerk NEXT STEPS
• CVSD board meeting, March 12, 6 p.m. at CVU • Williston Selectboard meeting, March 19, at Town Hall
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