BUCKLAND — Voters opted overwhelmingly Tuesday to allow the town to exempt from Proposition 2½ provisions money for capital improvements at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School in Shelburne and Mohawk Trail Regional School in Buckland.
One-hundred and nine ballots were cast in Town Hall between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. This election was required to debt-exclude the borrowing from permanently going on the town tax rate. Residents voted 94-15 on Article 1, pertaining to the elementary school, and 91-18 on Article 2, which pertained to Mohawk Trail Regional School.
The articles were previously adopted at Annual Town Meeting on June 5, authorizing Buckland to borrow the money. They agreed on an amount, not to exceed $382,850, for work at the elementary school (Buckland’s share of this debt is $205,131) and an amount, not to exceed $665,000, for work at Mohawk Trail Regional School. Buckland’s share of this debt is $151,407. The money is required to pay the town’s allocable share of the bond issued by the Mohawk Trail Regional High School District to finance capital improvements.
The Buckland Finance Committee crafted a memo explaining the schools need several repairs and upgrades. The Mohawk Trail work includes replacing a boiler control system, while the elementary school needs new heating boilers. Both schools need to repair and seal cracks in the parking lots and replace a fire alarm system control panel.
According to the Finance Committee, this new debt would increase the property tax rate by an estimated 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning a house assessed at $200,000 would see an estimated real estate tax increase of $34 per year.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.