The Board of Finance will send a proposed $20.4 million town budget and a proposed $50.2 million school budget on to a Tuesday, May 17 referendum. Following an April 25 public hearing at which speaker after speaker rose to state support for the budgets, the finance board made no additional reductions from the budgets presented at the hearing.

In a Polson School auditorium filled with approximately 100 residents, Board of Finance Chair Kathy Stahelski said the board's goal was to provide a 2011-2012 fiscal year budget that would minimize expenses and promote continuation of the services "that make Madison a great place to live."

It was, she said, "No easy task."

Mindful of what voters told town officials last year-a year in which three referendums were required before a town budget was passed-"There are no new full-time positions in this budget," Stahleski said.

She added that the finance board was also mindful of the current economic climate.

"The budget we are presenting to you tonight represents a 0.72 percent increase" over the present town and school budget, she said, and estimated that, if approved at referendum, it would require a 0.5 to 0.8 percent increase in the tax rate.

The 0.72 percent budget increase is the lowest in recent history, she said. The Board of Finance is recommending a town budget for the next fiscal year totaling $20,441,981 and a Board of Education budget totaling $50,279,058. The town budget represents an increase of 2.83 percent and the education budget a decrease of 0.11 percent when compared with this fiscal year's budgets.

Stahelski's presentation of the budgets was approximately 40 minutes, after which she opened the meeting to public comments. The first was a formal statement from the Madison Property Owners Association (MPOA) saying the group would not support any increase to property taxes. Members had met, they said, with town and school officials to discuss the proposed budgets.

Schools needed to better address planning for declining enrollments, MPOA said, adding "we strongly believe there is room to cut back" in the town budget. Town officials "must recognize the reality of the new economy we live in...We cannot support any tax increase whatsoever...Go back and sharpen your pencils."

For the next 40 minutes, each speaker who stepped to the microphone spoke in support of the budgets as proposed, particularly the education budget, and was generally greeted with applause. Lisa Rollins, a member of the Parents Representative Council for the schools, urged the finance board to send the budgets to referendum as presented, then asked the audience to "make some noise in support of this budget." The response was a loud round of applause.

The Board of Finance met the following evening to discuss possible further cuts in the proposed budgets based on the comments made at the public hearing. The board voted to send the two budgets on to the referendum with no further reductions. The townwide referendum is set for May 17. If the budgets are approved at referendum, the finance board will meet May 18 to set a new tax rate.