ATHOL — The town manager credits a local meals tax and a switch to a different retirement system for the 1.12 percent increase for the proposed operating budget to be presented to voters at the annual town meeting.

Shaun A. Suhoski said extra tax revenue and cost-savings helped produced a proposed $19,154,459 budget, with $4,503,296 for education. This is a $212,143 increase from the $18,942,316 budget (with $4,326,570 for education) adopted last year.

The annual town meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Athol Memorial Building at 584 Main St. on June 12.

Suhoski said this is the first full year Athol has been involved with the Worcester Regional Retirement System, with has a much larger investor pool than Athol Contributory Retirement System, and this saves the town roughly $500,000. He also said a 0.75 percent meals tax brings in additional revenue.

“So this thing costs me $1.06 instead of $1.05,” Suhoski said at his desk, holding up a cup of coffee from Cumberland Farms.

A separate warrant article, which Suhoski calls a “taxpayer relief article,” asks if voters wish to transfer $100,000 from surplus to the town’s stabilization fund to offset taxes.

Suhoski has stated the proposed budget intends to restore key services that have suffered as a result of the sour economy. According to information he provided, the proposed figures would restore a full-time laborer position to the town’s public works department, which oversees cemeteries and parks, and resurrect a part-time custodian job at the Memorial Building for 16 hours a week. The budget would also restore the building, health, assessing and public works administrative office to full-time status, which is 37 hours per week.

He said he is proud of this proposed budget, which he said funds essential services but does not “hammer the taxpayers.” He called the budget “a step forward for the community, after successive years of very, very lean budgets, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.”

There will also be a 42 percent decrease in elections and registration costs because there is no presidential, senatorial or gubernatorial election this year.

Suhoski said the increase from $13,800 to $19,300 (a nearly 4 percent jump) for the town’s conservation commission will pay for research by wetlands scientists.

Suhoski also said adopting the budget the way it is proposed will allow the Athol Public Library to be open more hours per week.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 258.
Twitter: @DomenicPoli