Busy March 1 for VT voters

Voters will be kept busy on March 1.

Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries will be held during the day. Vermont balloting is part of Super Tuesday, when a dozen states and one territory express their preferences for party nominees for President. In addition to Vermont, the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia will hold primaries. Alaska Republicans will caucus. Democrats in Colorado and American Samoa will indicate their Presidential preferences through caucuses.
(See Burlington Free Press story.)

Australian ballot voting on the 2016-17 Otter Valley Unified Union School District budget of $22.6 million will be held in district towns. Whiting voters will vote at the Whiting Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The annual school meeting for the Whiting Town School District will begin at 7:15 p.m. at the Town Hall. Attendees will consider a $633,161 spending plan.

The annual Town Meeting will immediately follow the school meeting. A proposed municipal budget of $365,602 will be decided. Spending in the plan has increased by $65,350 over the 2015 budget. The amount funded through local taxes is to decrease, however, by an amount of $16,842. The town selectmen anticipates that the town tax rate will drop from $0.53 to $0.49.

In addition, the Town Meeting will elect the following officers:

• Select board member for a term of three years, 
• Lister for a term of three years,
• Auditor for a term of three years,
• Collector of delinquent taxes
• Library trustee for a term of three years
• Road commissioner
• First constable
• Second constable
• Town Juror
• Town Agent

Voters to decide school budgets

Whiting voters will assemble at the Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, to hear a presentation of the Otter Valley Unified Union School District budget for the 2016-17 year. The meeting will be recessed to Australian ballot voting on the budget from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, at the Town Hall.

The Otter Valley Unified Union School District, according to a plan approved by the towns of Brandon, Goshen, Leicester, Pittsford, Sudbury and Whiting, is scheduled to begin operation on July 1, 2016. Its proposed budget for 2016-17 is $22.6 million, an equalized per pupil rate of $14,495.

At 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, the annual school meeting will be held. Voters will elect a moderator for a term of one year, a school district treasurer for a term of one year and a school director for a term of three years. In addition, voters will be asked to approve the expenditure of $633,161 ($12,606 per equalized pupil) by the Whiting Town School District. This amount represents a 9.24 percent spending decrease per equalized pupil as compared with the current year.