Tax Rate Will be 19.43 Mills In 2011-2012

The town's tax rate will be 19.43 mills in 2011-2012, an increase of .67 percent over the 2010-2011 rate of 19.30.

The new rate will go into effect July 1, 2011.

The Board of Finance met Wednesday evening to set the new rate, which was set at a level that will allow the town to pay for its operating expenses, capital expenditures, and current debt service.

The rate was set at 19.43 mills after the board voted to take $300,000 from the town's undesignated fund balance and use it to reduce the tax rate for next year. The tax rate assumes a tax collection rate of 98.5 percent, and is based on the current grand list, which is $3,430, 469, 251, a slight increase over last year's grand list which was $3,420, 670, 838.

"A mill rate of one mill means that taxpayers are taxed at a rate of $1 on every $1,000 of assessed taxable property," according to the town's website. "Thus, a 22.28 mill rate means that a person with a house and lot assessed at $100,000 will pay $2,228.00 annually in real property taxes; another assessed at $500,000 will pay $11,140.00 annually."

The board's action came after the town's voter's The combined budgets will be $70,721, 039 for 2011-2012, which is $506,293 more than the 2010-2011 budget, or 0.72 percent more. The town budget will be  $20,441,981 or 2.83 percent higher than 2010-2011 budget, a difference of $563,400. The Board of Education budget will be $50,279,058, a decrease of 0.11 percent or $57,000 lower than the 2010-2011 budget.

Town officials had estimated that the tax rate increase would be about 0.5 to 0.8 percent.

In other action at the Board of Finance meeting Wednesday night;

• the board tabled a request from Tom Scarpati, chairman of the Senior Center/Ambulance Center Building Committee and Diane Stadterman, a member of that committee, to make a special appropriation of $27,899 to cover unanticipated costs incurred during construction of the Senior Center. Scarpati and Stadterman said the project was still within its budget of $5.5 million but that they were concerned the project's contingency account was being depleted. Board of Finance Chairman Kathleen Stahelski asked Scarpati and Stadterman to provide more detailed information about what has been spent and what they think will be spent before making a final decision on the request for the special appropriation.
• the board voted in favor of a request from Madison Youth and Family Services to apply for  $10,000 grant from the Office and Policy Management to pay for a program where the town's police department would work with at-risk youth in town.
• the board voted in favor of a request from the police department to appply and accept a Seat Belt Grant through the state Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office. This action is pending Board of Selectman approval at its next meeting.
• the board voted in favor of a request from to allow for the department to work with the town's Youth and Family Services to provide low cost or no cost services to residents who otherwise could not afford them due to financial difficulties.
• the board voted in favor of allowing the town to apply for two Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grants, one for a downtown beautification project and the other for the Strong Field project.