Thursday May 10, 2012

SAVOY -- Town Meeting has signed off on the town's fiscal 2013 budget.

In a meeting that lasted about an hour and a half Wednesday night, voters approved all 22 warrant articles, including 16 related to the town and school district budgets, with little to no discussion.

"The fiscal 2013 budget is primarily level-funded," Finance Committee member Kathy Luczynski said at the beginning of the meeting.

There were increases in some line items, including the town's assessment to McCann Technical School in North Adams. But for the most part, they were offset in other line items, she said.

The number of students attending McCann from Savoy increased from 17 last year to 22 this year, which has caused the town's assessment to increase by $29,661 to $160,510, she said.

Luczynski said the Savoy school budget has remained level-funded for fiscal 2013 at $725,173, and the school expects it will be able to give money back to the town at the end of this fiscal year.

The highway department also turned in a level-funded budget at $232,846, and Fire Chief Larry Ordyna had forfeited his salary again, she said.

Prior to the approval of the first warrant article, which asked voters to approve $23,376 in salaries for the Selectmen, moderator, assessors, tax collector, treasurer and town clerk, resident Emile Mazur questioned the $2,000 that each of the three members on the Selectmen were paid annually.

Mazur said

Advertisement
he felt it was too much money for working only two Tuesdays a month.

Scott Koczela, chairman of the Selectmen, said in addition to those Tuesday night meetings, he spends a lot of time attending meetings and conducting business on behalf of the town.

The first warrant article passed by a majority vote.

Town Meeting unanimously approved the purchase of a new highway truck to replace the 1997 plow truck currently used by the highway department. The new truck's cost isn't to exceed $65,000 and will be paid for by $30,000 in free cash and the borrowing of funds to make up the difference.

In addition, Town Meeting approved the deposit of $10,000 to establish a stabilization fund for capital budget purposes.