NO AMOUNT TO BE RAISED FROM TAXATION?

Warrant Articles year after year show: “No amount to be raised from additional taxation”. Voters are told money being used comes from an “unassigned fund balance” or in some cases “This sum to come from a fund balance”. So where is the money actually coming from? The short answer, it’s money already collected from taxpayers. It is SURPLUS MONEY sitting in designated accounts or in a fund account. Don’t fall victim of clever wording to think you won’t be taxed for what the Warrant Article dollar amount is…you’ve already been taxed ahead of time and whether it’s a Town or School Warrant Article…the Select Board and School Board has been sitting on your money, stashed away for when and how they want to spend it. What was revealed at the Town’s Deliberative Session, on Tuesday February 7, 2023 was that our Town has $2,900,000.00 of SURPLUS money in “unassigned funds”. That’s $2.9 million dollars, which has already been collected from us taxpayers. It’s understandable to keep a reasonable reserve of funds in case of emergencies, but it seems like $2.9 million dollars for a Town our size is grossly inflated. 

"No Amount to be raised from Additional Taxation" on Warrant Articles means You've already been taxed; the money has already been collected...and is sitting in accounts...as Surplus Funds.