Rehoboth to Vote on $36M Budget

Voters will be asked to approve a $36 million budget at the May 9 Annual Town Meeting. The meeting will begin at 7 pm at the Museum Building at Francis Farm, 27 Francis Farm Road.

The total town government budget is $13, 783, 975. This year’s budget represents a 9.45 percent increase over FY23.

The total education budget is $22, 967,952. $21, 259, 072 is for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District. That figure represents an increase of 4.4 percent over last year.

$1.4 million is for Bristol/Plymouth Vocational Technical School, and $272, 000 is for Bristol County Agricultural High School.

Finance Committee chair Colleen Simpson noted town revenues increased by $1.42 million. “There is a combined total increase of $1.2 million for tax levy, 2 1/2 increase and new growth,” Simpson wrote in the meeting warrant. “We are estimating an additional increase of $250,000 from local receipts.”

As for education, Simpson reported an increase of $1.23 million.
• $896,601 - Dighton Rehoboth Regional School – The state minimum local contribution increased $536,327.
• • $239,173 - Bristol Plymouth - This includes a capital assessment of $167,902 for the current construction project. This payment will become larger as building progresses and loan funds are expended.
• • $102,713 - Bristol County Agricultural – Student enrollment increased from 18 to 29.

There are a total of 34 warrant articles. The first nine articles are the consent agenda. These include the annual town surplus equipment auction authorization, the setting of salaries and compensation of elected officials, the Community Preservation budget and appropriation of monies from Community Preservation Fund annual revenues, and authorization to pay bills from a prior year.

Other warrant articles include:
• To see if the Town will vote to receive the Report of the Finance Committee, and to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds the sum of $1,436,167 to defray the expenses of Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School for the ensuing fiscal year and to make all appropriations therefore, or take any other action relative thereto.
• To see if the Town will vote to approve an amendment to the agreement between the Town and Bristol Plymouth Regional Vocational School Agreement to include the addition of the Town of Freetown as a new member to the District; or take any other action relative thereto.
• To see if the Town will vote to approve the use of $50,000 from the Historic Preservation Reserve of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) to purchase the buildings and property located at 133 Bay State Road, Rehoboth, MA in its entirety including any closing costs or costs associated with the same, and further to authorize the Selectmen to convey a historic preservation restriction on such property, or take any other action relative thereto.
• To see if the Town will vote to reallocate $125,000 from Beckwith Middle School capital. Which was voted on at the FY23 Town Meeting. Funding was for Air Handling Repair/Replacement; electric services. The reallocation of funds will be for security enhancements including, but not limited to, security cameras and door access controls for Beckwith and Palmer River Schools. Reimbursement of actual cost will be submitted upon completion and inspection of completed work.

Also to be voted on are a number of street acceptances, bylaw amendments, and fund transfers.
The entire warrant can be viewed on the town website: https://www.rehobothma.gov.