The Chester Board of Finance (BOF) approved a proposed $15,329,000 town and schools budget for 2022-’23 at an April 21 budget workshop. The budget next goes to a town meeting on Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House prior to its official up or down vote at the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 24 at the same location.

The preliminary budget calls for a $468,307 or 3.15 percent increase from the current year’s budget. The BOF wants to keep the current town mill rate of 29.5 percent for next year and believes the budget proposal will allow for the town to keep that mill rate.

The budget calls for $4,950,397 in town-side spending and debt service, an increase of $366,468 or 8.0 percent. Schools spending, which may change if the Region 4 budget proposal is declined at referendum on Tuesday, May 3, is proposed at $10,379,403, a $101,839 or 0.99 percent increase.

Town Office Operations will be seeing an increase of funding of $9,050, or 12.29 percent, from the current year, as will the BOF, with an total increase in spending of $106,640 from this year’s $71,125 for next year, representing a 49.93 percent jump in funding. The Registrar of Voters will also see an increase in funding, with $8,525 in spending for next year’s budget, or a 47.37 percent increase.

Several commissions will see an increase in funding for their operations. The Planning & Zoning Commission will see an increase of $5,079, or 8.85 percent, from the current year, totaling $62,479 in spending for next year. The Inland Wetlands Commission is seeking a 19.8 percent increase in funding, with $2,350 in additional spending from the current year rate of $11,871. This brings the total spending for the commission to $14,221 for next year. The Parks & Recreation Commission will seek a 21.35 percent increase in spending, totaling $128,590 in funding for next year. One of the specific increases for the commission includes a 43.71 percent increase in funding for temporary part-time employees of the department.

The Essex Public Library will receive an additional amount of funding of $5,167 from the current year, representing a 3.17 percent increase in spending.

In the category of Public Works, the department will see a total increase of $115,499, or a 13.17 percent increase from the current year. Funding for maintenance work for highway services will increase by 12.65 percent, with total proposed spending next year standing at $623,759, with an additional $70,063 in funding from the current year. General maintenance work, which includes areas of payroll, catch basin cleaning, electricity, and oil and gas, will receive $50,521 in additional funding for next year, representing a 15.91 percent increase. Maintenance work with trees will increase by 3.15 percent, with $9,552 in total spending, while road maintenance will increase $13,000, or 13.61 percent. Funding for town building and grounds maintenance will see an increase of 23.55 percent from the current year, with $209,511 allocated for the proposed budget.

In the category of Public Safety, services in fire protection are seeing an allocation of $22,139 in additional funding, or a 5.30 percent increase from the current year spending of $417,541.

Those services will be given a total of $439,680 in spending for next year according to the proposed budget. The Police Department will receive an additional $34,522 in funding, represented by a 9.74 percent increase from the current year, partly resulting from an increase in resident state trooper pay, which is increased by $13,000. Emergency management services will see a decrease in funding of 1.33 percent from the current year, with a total cut of $150. Emergency communication services will receive an additional $2,766 in funding, up 3.24 percent from the current year, the result of an increase in contract costs that are negotiated biennially. Overall, public safety services will see an 6.22 percent increase in spending, totaling $1,065,589 request for the proposed budget.

In other areas, the Retirement Board will see a 1.3 percent cut in funding, or $2.983 from the current year, with employee benefits seeing an 14.15 percent increase in funding, partly due to a 18.95 percent increase, or $58,000 increase, in spending.

A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held in person on Tuesday, May 10, at 7 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House, 4 Liberty Street, and will be prepared for final approval at the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 24 at the same location.