MONTAGUE — Like the students that populate its halls, residents will come Saturday at 8:30 a.m. to the theater at Turners Falls High School to vote on 40 articles at the annual Town Meeting.
Town Meeting voters will take up the following budget items:
■ $1,085,007 for Franklin County Technical School, an 11.36 percent increase from this year’s amount of $974,338.
■ $10,229,737 for the Gill-Montague Regional School District, a 4.27 percent increase from this year’s amount of $9,811,160.
■ $53,078 for the Turners Falls airport, a 9.35 percent increase from this year’s amount of $48,539.
■ $2,295,227 for the Water Pollution Control Facility, a 13.78 percent decrease from this year’s amount of $2,017,231.
The overall town budget proposal being voted on is $9,828,399, which is a 4.49 percent increase compared to this year’s overall budget of $9,406,018. This amount covers “general town operations” such as general government, public safety, employee benefits and public works.
The town’s “free cash” surplus will be used to fund one-time capital purchases.
One article involves the town voting whether to appropriate $20,000 from sewer user fees, for purchasing, equipping and making major repairs to the Water Pollution Control Facility vehicles and equipment.
Voters will also decide whether to approve $25,500 from sewer user fees, for the purpose of obtaining a feasibility study for a composting facility for the Montague Water Pollution Control Facility. The study would include the development of plans and specifications, cost estimates and location options.
In addition to the overall budgets, the town will also vote on other purchases for local schools, including repairing sidewalks at Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School, installing columns at Sheffield Elementary School and purchasing a truck for the district.
The sidewalks replacement and curbing project at Turners Falls High School is proposed to be $76,670 from free cash.
■ $21,755 from free cash is proposed to complete the installation of columns at the Sheffield Elementary School, including replacing wood trim, railings and masonry work at the landing.
■ $35,344 from free cash is proposed to purchase and equip a truck for the Gill Montague School District Facilities Management Department.
Town Meeting members will also vote to provide $50,000 for a study assessing inflow and infiltration to the public sewer system in Millers Falls and to provide options and cost estimates for its removal to be raised from sewer user fees.
Another article on the warrant to replace the wooden ballot boxes and replace them with seven optical scanners to replace wooden ballot boxes for $50,000 from free cash.
In addition, voters will decide whether to provide $10,000 from taxation, for the purpose of modifying the interior swinging doors, plus repairing and weatherizing the front doors of the Carnegie Library.
In a separate article, the town will also vote to provide $22,050 from free cash, for the purpose of making building improvements to remediate moisture problems at the Montague Center Library.
There is also an article to use $20,000 from free cash, for the purpose of making building improvements to remediate moisture problems at the Millers Falls Library.
Reach Melina Bourdeau at mbourdeau@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ext. 263.