GEORGETOWN — Residents will vote on six override questions, five of them one-time debt exclusions and one a permanent tax increase, at Monday's town election. If all the measures pass, taxpayers will see an average one-time increase of $145, plus a permanent increase of $30 per household.
Three questions are slated for the School Department. The first is $35,000 to purchase two vans for special education transportation.
"We expect a $35,000 yearly savings to the district with these vans," said School Committee Chairman George Moker at Town Meeting last Monday. When asked at the meeting about the number of children to be serviced by the vans, Moker answered that two to four children would ride in each van. Moker also said that other town departments, such as the Council on Aging, could possibly use the vans when the schools do not use them.
Another $48,000 would go to set up a central copy center, and $60,000 would upgrade security systems at the middle/high school in the wake of several incidents of vandalism and a recent bomb threat.
The Fire Department is asking for a permanent tax hike of $91,000 to fund salaries for a part-time fire chief and three per diem EMTs to staff the Fire Department under the new strong chief model, which was voted in by the Legislature in April.
Fire chief Michael Anderson said $3,000 would go to the new chief's salary and $88,000 to the EMTs who would staff the Erie 4 and Central fire stations during the hours that volunteers are least likely to be available.
The final two one-time debt exclusions include $125,000 to replace the public safety building roof and $50,000 to replace the roof of the old Highway Department building.
Police Sgt. Don Cudmore said the roof has been leaking for eight years and damage has been done to the insulation and ventilation systems.
"Our estimate is $5,000 to replace insulation, $8,000 to 10,000 for the ventilation system, $6,000 for the gutters and $55,000 to 90,000 for the actual roof," he said.
Finally, highway surveyor Peter Durkee said at Town Meeting that the rust and holes in the roof of the Highway Department building are so bad that a contractor estimating the cost of repairs actually had his leg go through the roof during the inspection.
Voting will take place Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Penn Brook School.
