Souhegan Co-op session quiet, routine

AMHERST – Roughly 40 voters had few comments and proposed no amendments to the three articles on the Souhegan Cooperative School District warrant at Tuesday night’s Deliberative Session.

The most-discussed topic was Article 2, the $18.21 million, proposed operating budget for the coming fiscal year. It calls for an increase of roughly $441,000, or 2.48 percent, over the current operating budget.

Article 3, which asks for an extra $50,000 for the school maintenance fund to cover unanticipated maintenance and repair costs, and Article 4, which adds $25,000 to cover one-time, lump-sum payments to district employees upon retirement, were approved unanimously.

The articles will go on the ballot for the district election, which takes place Tuesday, March 9.

Amherst voters will cast ballots from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. at Souhegan High School, while Mont Vernon residents vote at the Village School from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Souhegan Cooperative School Board members took turns explaining different parts of the proposed budget, pointing to contractual salary increases, a significant jump in health insurance costs, expenditures on program materials and equipment, and the rise in mandated district contributions to the state retirement system as the major drivers of the proposed increase.

In response to a question from resident Joe Esposito on district employee salary increases, School Board Chairman Steve Coughlan said the proposed budget includes an overall salary increase of 4.5 percent, but added that a breakdown of how much is for cost-of-living increases and agreed-upon step increases wasn’t immediately available.

Coughlan said the increases are part of a contract approved by voters two years ago and aren’t negotiable. “If we knew then what we know now, we may have done things differently,” he said.

The default budget, which would take effect if voters reject the proposed budget, is set at $18.04 million, or roughly $170,000 less than the proposed budget.

If voters pass the budget, it would add 27 cents to the school portion of Amherst residents’ property tax rate, from the current $6.16 to $6.43 per $1,000 of assessed value. A home assessed at $400,000 would have $108 added to next year’s tax bill.

In Mont Vernon, the budget’s passage would increase the school portion of property taxes from the current $7.61 to $8.29 per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of 68 cents, which would mean the property tax on a $400,000 home in Mont Vernon would increase by $272.

The Souhegan Finance Committee, which reviews and chooses whether to recommend the budget and other warrant articles, voted unanimously to recommend all three articles. Coughlan ended the session by bidding departing Souhegan School Board member Dan Foley farewell, which drew a round of applause from officials and residents.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 673-3100 Ext. 31 or dshalhoup@nashua telegraph.com.