GLOCESTER – Glocester’s city funds referendum handed with flying colours with one of many greatest voter turnouts in recent times. All three questions have been accepted. In anticipation of a bigger than common turnout, City Clerk Jean Fecteau ordered 1,000 ballots, probably the most she has ordered in years. The entire variety of voters was 687. Usually, a bit over 200 voters end up for funds referendum questions.
Query one was the request for a complete of $34,567,000, a rise of $380,938, the utmost allowed in keeping with state rules, which prohibit greater than a 4 % enhance annually. That query was accepted 491 to 196.
Query two requested an appropriation of $151,000 from the college capital enchancment fund to the native faculty fund steadiness to cowl the college’s deficit. These funds will come from surplus and won’t enhance taxes following a vote to approve the query 540 to 138.
The third query requested approval to switch $75,000 from surplus for grant matching funds. That was accepted 521 to 165.
“I believe it was an excellent funds,” mentioned City Council President William Worthy.
Whereas there have been main considerations with native elementary faculties, Worthy praised Supt. Renee Palazzo for locating cash on this 12 months’s funds to cut back the district’s deficit to a workable quantity. Initially, the deficit was projected to be $357,495, which the college division was capable of cut back to $151,000 by transferring funds from a reserve account to cowl a part of the deficit. The colleges acquired a 6 % enhance, whereas municipal aspect acquired a 2 % enhance.
“Our city aspect was lean,” mentioned Worthy. “There have been no extras on the municipal funds.”
Worthy mentioned that folks bought concerned due to considerations about cuts on the native stage. Some workers layoff notices had already been despatched out in anticipation of potentialities. The varsity committee nonetheless has to search out methods to cut back expenditures shifting ahead.
“Their work just isn’t over,” mentioned Worthy.
One of many issues with such referendum votes, he added, is the lack of understanding or the stream of misinformation relating to budgets and expenditures. Most individuals don’t perceive how budgets work, and what the calls for, obligations and restrictions are, he mentioned. He urged voters to get entangled within the course of from the start, presumably by volunteering on the funds board to allow them to know what’s concerned.
“The budget makes sense to people involved, but not to people not involved,” said Worthy. “People who want a budget to fail don’t understand the repercussions.”
The work includes not only reducing expenditures and eliminating jobs and services both in schools and municipal areas, but also putting a hold on other scheduled projects and events. As a result of the reduction in the current municipal budget, some planned improvements will have to be put on hold.
“No roads are getting fixed this year,” Worthy said. “What extra money there was went to schools.”
