LEVERETT – The Finance Committee and Selectboard hosted a joint meeting last Tuesday to discuss the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). If the budget passes Town Meeting residents will see an overall increase of 3.7 percent.

The proposed town budget for FY23 will increase 3.7 percent to $6.8 million, a hike of $246,199 from last year.

Two departments, Conservation and the Assessor’s Office, saw triple digit changes in staffing costs. According to notes on the budget, the assessors will forego any salary, hoping to facilitate the purchase of digital mapping software for their department. The conservation staffing costs will increase 143.8 percent chiefly because the conservation agent will double from five to 10 hours per week. The pay rate for the position will also increase from $17 to $20 per hour.

The Police Department will see a $10,147 increase in wages, a 5.8 percent bump, primarily due to an officer promotion to sergeant. Reserve officers, and those in training, will also cost 15.9 percent more than last year. Those costs will be somewhat mitigated for the town, according to the budget notes, by the contributions of the Wendell Police Department, which Leverett provides. A 10 percent administrative line item is, according to discussion, a fee for operating the department.

The animal control officers in both towns were moved from the budgetary purview of the conservation department to that of public safety. The Wendell Police Department also saw cost of living adjustment (COLA) increases of 3.1 percent. A significant jump in costs for officers in training hit 43.6 percent, or $2,692. In total, costs for police services increased 5.1 percent in Leverett and 8.2 percent in Wendell.

The Fire Department will also see some juggling of hours between positions. The deputy chief’s hours will drop while the chief’s hours will increase to 25. The increase in hours will add benefits to the cost of the chief, which are featured in the town’s health insurance line. The chief will earn $45,440.

The costs of the department’s three lieutenants increased by 54.5 percent while the costs for per diem fire fighters and the captain were eliminated. As a result, the department saw an overall reduction in staffing costs of 14.8 percent.

Expenses in training, mutual aid, turn-out gear and clothing allowances will all increase, resulting in a predicted overall budget reduction of 5.1 percent for the department.

A new town employee, the emergency planning director, will add $1,475 to the budget. In total, public safety increased 2.1 percent from FY22.

Leverett Elementary School shows small COLA increases in the proposed budget, while workers compensation and automobile insurance increased more notably, as did debt costs at the regional school. The budget of the school increased by a little over $77,000, or 1.8 percent, though discussion suggested that figure is misleading. It was revealed that an additional $66,000 payment last year, a one-time expense outside the operating budget, pushes this year’s actual increase for the elementary school to 6.6 percent.

The highway superintendent’s position was underbudgeted, according to budget notes, and will increase this year by 4.7 percent, or $3,326. The cost of clothes and equipment repairs jumped, yet the budget for the department rose 3.3 percent. The superintendent will earn $74,171 next year.

The total budget of the transfer station will increase by 17.8 percent under the new budget, a number elevated by bulky waste and trash hauling fee increases of 59.1 percent and 37.3 percent respectively. This year’s $55,012 budget jumps to $69,014 next year. Discussion revealed the transfer station is almost totally underwritten by user fees.

The Board of Health shows a budget increase of 0.2 percent.

The library section of the budget showed further fine-tuning of hours in different positions. The director will receive a salary reduced by 12.1 percent. Discussion clarified that library leadership sought to transition a low-paid full-time position into a well-paid part-time position. The intent is to increase the retention of library directors, who tend to leave the position after a year or two.

The line item for substitute employees will bump up 10.3 percent. Costs also went up in all but one expense line, mitigating any savings on wages. The total budget for the library, if approved by Town Meeting, will increase to $89,538.

The proposed town budget includes $71,000 more in contributions to the stabilization fund, $200,000 in total, in anticipation of higher debt service costs. Maintenance of town buildings will cost 3 percent more, with energy charges showing the only noticeable increases.