Williamsburg OKs budget, school work

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG - The more than 100 residents in attendance at Monday's Town Meeting unanimously approved the Finance Committee's $5.4 million operating budget for next year, put $150,000 into the town's stabilization fund and approved up to $60,000 for designs to renovate the Anne T. Dunphy School.

Last week, Town Administrator Steven Herzberg said when compared to other Hilltowns, Williamsburg has far less money put aside as stabilization funding and that the general consensus among members of the Selectboard and Finance Committee was that this was the year to put free cash into that account, a decision that residents endorsed unanimously.

"We haven't been in a position to put money into stabilization for some time," Finance Committee Chairman Christopher Smith said before the vote Monday. "Five percent of our operating budget is the desirable amount we would want in that account. We have seen a significant jump in free cash and we would like to put some of that money aside."

Of the approved $150,000 transfer, residents voted that $133,000 would be allocated from free cash and the remaining $17,000 would be derived from taxation.

Another key vote Monday night was residents' unanimous decision to approve the School Committee's request to allocate no more than $60,000 from free cash to hire a licensed design consultant to plan renovations to the Anne T. Dunphy School.

The decision to go forward with planning renovations without the financial support of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, committee Chairwoman Charlene Nardi said, came after years of submitting requests and design plans without results. The new design proposal also includes plans for a 9,000-square-foot addition to the building.

Before the vote was made, Principal Fred Venne presented a video outlining a variety of problems with available space in the building, outdated electrical and heating systems and structural damage to the building itself.

"It is a serious issue," building inspector Paul Tacy said before the vote. "Every year I am asked to sign off on these certificates of inspection, and with these aging buildings, each year it becomes more and more difficult."

Residents also unanimously approved each section of the Finance Committee's $5.4 million budget proposal, which called for $1.5 million for local school expenses; $1.27 million for the Hampshire Regional High School assessment; $471,463 for public works and facilities; $372,916 for general government; $285,428 for the vocational school assessment; $280,033 for public safety; $270,097 for debt service; $111,989 for culture and recreation; $86,053 for human services; $58,487 for intergovernmental expenses; $1,421 for the school committee's stipend; and $682,102 for fixed miscellaneous expenses.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.