Press Release: Dudley calls Special Town Election for 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on August 17, 2023, at the Dudley Municipal Complex, 71 West Main Street

Dudley Special Town Election 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. August 17, 2023
Dudley Municipal Complex, 71 West Main Street
Proposition 2 ½ Override Ballot Questions

Question 1:
Shall the Town of Dudley be allowed to assess an additional $556,111.09 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding Public Safety services (Fire Department - $366,764.55; Police Department - $189,346.54), for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023?
____ YES ____ NO
Passage of this this question would fund both department budgets at slightly below the FY23 level-funded amounts. The Police Department would be funded at 97% of last year’s budget (FY23) and the Fire Department at 93% of last year’s budget. It would prevent the layoff of two patrolman, two career firefighter paramedics, and one administrative assistant this year (FY24). It would restore Fire Department funding for per diem staff, critical training and emergency care supplies.

Question 1 would add 38 cents to the tax rate.

Question 2:
Shall the Town of Dudley be allowed to assess an additional $534,304.50 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Highway Department, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023?
____ YES ____ NO
Passage of this question would fund the Highway Department at 65% of last year’s budget and return $534,304.50 to the town’s stabilization account. It would prevent the layoff of two highway workers in advance of the winter. Two positions now vacant due to a transfer and retirement in FY23 would remain unfilled. Should Question 5 pass, additional funding returned to the municipal budget and unspent unemployment expenses would be considered in bringing the proposed Highway Department budget closer to FY23 level-funding.

Question 2 would add 37 cents to the tax rate.

Question 3:
Shall the Town of Dudley be allowed to assess an additional $133,698 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding general governmental and municipal services (Administration; Town Accountant; Information Technology Expenses; Board of Assessors; Town Treasurer; Municipal Expenses; Town Clerk; Planning Board; Board of Health; Building Inspector; Council on Aging; Veterans’ Services), for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023?
____ YES ____ NO
Passage of this question would fund municipal services at 94% of last year’s budget if unemployment expenses can be avoided across all town departments. It would properly fund the Town Planner, Building Inspector, and Veterans Services. It would restore clerical staffing to the Assessor’s and Treasurer/Collector’s offices. Plus, it would maintain an appropriate level of IT Security and return online services to residents.

Question 3 would add 9 cents to the tax rate.

Question 4:
Shall the Town of Dudley be allowed to assess an additional $297,528.41 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Public Library, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023?
____ YES ____ NO
Passage of this question would fund the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Public Library at 93% of last year’s budget. The library will remain open for FY24, and inter-library services will remain intact.

Question 4 would add 21 cents to the tax rate.

Question 5:
Shall the Town of Dudley be allowed to assess an additional $901,683 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the Dudley Charlton Regional School District assessment, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023?
____ YES ____ NO
Passage of this question would provide the funding sought by the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District to restore recent reductions in staff and programs and maintain a level-service educational experience for families. It would return $901,683 to the municipal side of the budget, which would be applied to town departments with the goal of reaching FY23 level-funding.

Question 5 would add 62 cents to the tax rate.

Passage of all five questions would raise the FY24 tax rate by $1.67.
As of July 1, the debt payments for the Town Hall renovation were finished. This reduction of $344,177 in debt reduces the FY24 tax rate by 24 cents. The net impact to the tax rate if all five questions
pass would be an additional $1.43 per 1,000 or property valuation.
 

Dudley’s recent Tax rate history:
2014 $11.68
2015 $12.26
2016 $12.18
2017 $11.94
2018 $11.73
2019 $13.50 (year override passed for fire station and schools)
2020 $13.06
2021 $12.30
2022 $11.70
2023 $10.16

Please direct questions to [email protected]