T O W N O F M IL T O N

REPORT OF THE WARRANT COMMITTEEFOR THE 2011 ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGTo the Honorable Board of Selectmen:The Warrant Committee herewith presents to the Town Meeting and to thevoters and taxpayers of the Town estimates and recommendations for action onarticles submitted to the Annual Town Meeting convening on Monday, May 2,2011.The Warrant Committee recommends that Town Meeting vote appropriationstotaling $91,156,716 (excluding revolving funds and bond issues). Therecommended budget would result in an estimated increase of 2.70% in the residentialproperty tax rate, from $14.07 per thousand in fiscal year 2011(FY2011) to $14.45 per thousand in fiscal year 2012 (FY2012). For the averageresident, with a home valued at $507,054, the proposed budget would resultin a tax increase of $192.68.The budget recommended by the Warrant Committee is balanced withinthe limits of Proposition 2 ½. It is based on an estimated 1.95% increase innew revenue, excluding Water and Sewer enterprise funds, use of the StabilizationFund and proposed new bond issues. Consistent with the recommendationand comment on Article 28 of the 2010 Annual Town Meeting, it doesrecommend withdrawing $806,468 of the $817,791 appropriated to the StabilizationFund at that Town Meeting.Rising costs and inflation affect the Town in much the same manner as anindividual living on a fixed income. It is for that reason and the fact that othersources of revenue remain flat, that we must request that taxes be increased tothe legal levy limit. The Warrant Committee requested that all departments presentlevel dollar budget requests for FY2012 (i.e. a budget that would allow eachdepartment to operate with the same money as last year). All of the Town Departmentswere able to do so. As you will see, we have set forth a plan forFY2012 that will provide funds for the Town Departments and the Schools tooperate effectively while preserving some funding to help us through FY2013.I. The Town’s FY2012 BudgetA. RevenuesThe principal areas of income are property taxes, new growth, state aid,local receipts, water and sewer revenues and available funds.• Proposition 2 ½ limits the increase in the tax levy limit to 2.5% per year.The increase for FY2012 is $1,467,357, or 2.5% of the FY2011 total of$58,694,294.238