By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The proposed budget of $15,872,049 was approved by Springfield, Vermont, voters on election day on March 4, with the article passing by an 810-503 margin, but voters ultimately decided to vote down the school district budget with a vote of 616-689.
Voters gathered the previous night for an informational session regarding the articles on the town warning, which included Article 4 to see if the town would appropriate the funds to be used for town salaries, incidental and necessary town expenses that includes highways and other purposes that the law requires appropriations.
Town Manager Jeff Mobus made a presentation about the budget, noting that this year was difficult for Springfield and communities across the board as they saw a 22% increase in health insurance costs.
However, Mobus said the town was fortunate to have a dedicated Budget Advisory Committee who visited every department and went through the budget line by line.
“They had a number of meetings and looked at the budget and came back and said, ‘Here’s what we recommend,’” Mobus said. “It was still a 7.3% increase. We felt the town was uncomfortable with that number.”
They continued to go through the budget, removing $155,000 from the reserve funds which will make for some challenges. Mobus said this was necessary to keep the town’s tax rate down. Through a rigorous process, the budget was able to be brought down to a 5.75% increase.
The amount to be raised by taxes when taking out $3.5 million in revenue was about $12.3 million, which is an increase of 5.34%.
The proposed budget increase reflects rising costs and critical needs in town services. As noted by Mobus, health insurance premiums have increased significantly statewide. The town has 77.5 employees, and most are on the town’s health plan, which significantly impacts the town’s operating expenses.
One major aspect is the fire department needs. It was noted that in 1970 the Springfield Fire Department received 250 service calls, which is dwarfed by the 2024 amount of 3,318 calls. However, staffing levels are the same and well below federal recommendation. The proposed budget includes funding for three new full-time employees, but it is noted they really need five new employees as previously requested.
Springfield also has the second highest number of road miles to maintain across the state. The town is behind in road maintenance and improvements based on the Road Surface Management System guidelines. Each year the town has an article for additional money to keep pace, despite being budgeted for roads. This budget is focused on anticipating future needs for retaining walls, which the town expects to be costly. The idea is to invest closely with the recommended levels for road maintenance, the report stated.
The town also voted overwhelmingly in favor of appropriating the sum of $1 million to be used for repaving, road construction, gravel road improvements and ancillary professional services with a 1,028-286 vote.
There are five roads that will be addressed, as outlined by Mobus at the last meeting of the Springfield Board of Selectmen.
Route 143 has five segments amounting to 4.543 miles that need work. Mobus told the board that this was the route overlaid in the county correctional agreement of 2002, and the road is starting to deteriorate.
“We’re starting to see a decline and we’d like to button that up,” Mobus said, noting that this will go from the Route 5 intersection to Maple Valley.
There will also be a 0.87-mile section, the second section, of Eureka Route that will be paved.
On Spencer Hollow Road, the plan is to seal in last year’s work. There was a paved portion done last year, and Mobus said they wanted it to settle for a year before sealing.
Two segments of Randall Hill Road amounting to 0.90 miles will be paved, as well. This is all driven by culvert work, and as it will be closed for six weeks over the summer, it serves as a good time to get the job done, Mobus explained.
The last project is a 0.9-mile segment of Country Club Road. Mobus explained that this is town property from Center Road up to a parking lot, which was paved last year after being in rough condition. Mobus said this is a “nice community asset,” and it is something that needs to be done.
The only article voted down was the school district budget amount of $40,742,326. The proposed budget in Article 13 would have resulted in education spending of $13,918 per pupil, which was 3.98% higher than spending for the current year. Voters decided to deny this budget with 689 residents voting “no” and 616 voters in the affirmative.
The major cost drivers in the budget were salaries ($706,446); Benefits ($647,566); and Special Education ($868,311).
With no approved budget, the district must now operate with the cash equivalent to 87% of the current budget, which comes to $35,217,340.
“We will be having school board meetings in relation to the school budget and next steps. There will be a revote for the Springfield community in the upcoming weeks,” said Springfield School Board Chair Troy Palmer in an email to the Eagle Times. “The fiscal calendar for the district runs from 7/1-6/30. The district would like to have the community pass a budget prior to June 30th.”
About 20% of voters made it to the polls, with 1,327 voters checked off on the entrance checklist, and 325 absentee ballots, as well. There were not contested races, with John Brady winning Town and School District Moderator; Heather Frahm winning the selectboard seat; Jessica Austin and Denise Hunter taking the School Director seats; Pattrice Jones and Carrie Mobus winning Library Trustees; Peter Andrews winning Trustee of Public Funds; and Judith Stern winning the Cemetery Commissioner race.
In all, the town approved 29 articles on the Town Warning. The vote totals can be found on the town website at springfieldvt.gov.
