Whately Select Board Reviews Six Departmental Budgets Ahead of May Vote

WHATELY -- April 1, 2026, Whately Select Board reviews six departmental budgets with a $1.15-per-thousand projected tax rate increase already on the table. The board worked through fiscal year 2027 requests from the fire, highway, police, recreation, water, and South County EMS departments, with highway drawing the sharpest scrutiny: street sweeping costs were proposed to jump from $3,000 to $8,000, vehicle maintenance showed an estimated $47,000 combined increase over prior years, and two trucks are currently out of service, one superintendent noting that "frugality has gotten to the point where I have unsafe vehicles." The South County EMS regional assessment rose 25.02 percent to $168,025, driven largely by a drawdown of retained earnings that fell from $150,000 to $10,000. A personnel committee recommendation of a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment across all departments would push total town operating expenses up 7.87 percent. The board is operating with an estimated $500,000 of room below its Proposition 2½ levy limit, with a May 11 finance committee budget vote looming.