MONTAGUE — When town meeting members gather to vote at the annual town meeting on Saturday, May 7, they will be asked approve a budget and set aside $385,000 for asbestos abatement to prepare the ex-Strathmore mill buildings for either demolition or renovation.
The proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year totals $22.9 million, up about $434,956 or 2.9 percent from this year, according to a report released by the Finance Committee.
The Gill-Montague School District’s budget is increasing by 3.58 percent to a total of $8.8 million, while Franklin County Technical School’s budget went down by about 13 percent to about $659,000.
As in recent years, there was little increase in state aid, the report said.
Franklin County Technical School saw a reduction in students coming from Montague dropping to 56 from 70, which cut expenses by about $100,000.
While the Gill-Montague School District’s budget rose by $354,000, the town denied the district funding request for additional parking at Hillcrest for about $50,000 and a bid to renovate a stage at the school for about $70,000.
Other expenses include a 7 percent increase in the cost of health insurance for town employees, Town Administrator Frank Abbondanzio said.
Voters will also be asked to approve an engineering assessment on the town’s Department of Public Works building to look into the feasibility of constructing a new building.
The DPW has also requested two added positions for grounds and maintenance and a third position for building maintenance.
The new building maintenance worker would help the department cope better with upkeep at the many town owned buildings, which have been taken for back taxes.
The meeting will be held on Saturday, May 7, at 8:30 a.m. at the Turners Falls High School.