Williston
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JULY 11, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
FY25 tax rates set
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
With the new fiscal year beginning July 1, projections underpinning town and school budget votes in the spring have become etched in stone, or at least etched on the property tax bills that will be mailed from Town Hall next week. Voters went to the polls in April and May for second votes on the Town of Williston and Champlain Valley School District fiscal year 2025 budget proposals, passing a $15 million budget and $102 million budget, respectively. This after larger budget proposals were
rejected at Town Meeting Day in March. Town administrators estimated that the approved municipal budget, with its 7.6 percent spending increase over the previous fiscal year, would increase the municipal tax rate from $336 for every $100,000 of assessed property value to $356 — a 6 percent increase. School administrators estimated the approved school budget, with its 6 percent increase in spending, would increase the school property tax rate by 14 percent, from $1,670 per $100,000 of assessed property value to $1,920. see TAX page 9
Sustainability petition calls for new housing regulations BY INDIRA BUSH Special to the Observer
Growth and expansion are not new to Williston, but some residents are requesting that sustainability efforts increase as well. The local grassroots group Sustainable Williston is taking action. The group created a petition that outlines new standards for heating and energy use in new Williston developments. The petition requests that “all new large scale housing builds must use no fuels that emit greenhouse gasses.” The petition specifies that this includes fossil fuels, renewable natural gas and biomass. Additionally, it requests that all new
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
All the feels on the Fourth
On Thursday, the Williston community gathered together in the Village to celebrate Independence Day. The morning parade was a highlight with Susan and Tony Lamb, above left, leading the way as parade Grand Marshals. The celebration culminated with an evening fireworks display, above right. Below, Williston Boy Scouts present the nation’s and state’s colors during the parade through the Village. For more scenes from the event, see our Independence Day Scrapbook on Pages 2-5. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
builds meet stronger energy conservation standards. The group hopes that these new standards will be written into the town bylaws quickly — ideally before the new Town Plan is adopted in 2025. “What can we do now to avoid regrets about what we could have done but didn’t in years to come?” asks the petition. The group explains that new houses will be in use for decades to come, so not making these proposed changes would be “shortsighted and expensive to correct.” The petition was first brought to the Planning Commission on May 7. It was then sent to the Energy Committee for consideration see HOUSING page 9
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