Vote on Budget, Town Projects is Wednesday

• The town's proposed $35,048,745 budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The amount is lower than the revised 2012-2013 budget of $35,166,631.
  
• $6 million in road work and drainage improvements 
  
• $5.4 million for land acquisition, site work and building of a new Public Works garage at 325 Commerce Drive 
  

"I think it's important that people show up to vote," Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said. "They're very important decisions that will have significant impact on how the town operates in the future." 

The garage proposal has dominated discussion this spring and if approved the town would sell bonds, or essentially borrow and pay back over time for it and the roads. Already, the town in the fall approved roofs and a multi-use track and field projects. 

Skinner said he did want to clarify an error in a published report that stated the potential impact of the garage project during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. According to estimates by the town, that project in 2014-2015 would cost the owner of a "average" Canton home assessed at $253,000 and with a market value of $361,429, a total of $105 for that entire year. The report indicated a different time frame for that amount. The 13-year average per year would be $87. 

In all, the impact of the track, roofs, garage and roads projects to that taxpayer would average $274 a year over a 13-year period for that same homeowner. The way bonding cycles work, the year's 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 would carry the biggest impact. 

Those numbers indicate direct project impacts but do not mean taxes would necessarily go up by that amount. Other factors such as retirement of existing debt, potential budget increases, revenue sources and more would also have to be taken into account, officials said. 

Those who want to see more of the debt service impact can visit this link.

For 2013-2014, if all projects and the proposed budget were to pass, that "average" homeowner's taxes would go up a total of $147.

See more about the budget here and the garage project here. 

Voting takes place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Canton Town Hall.