Kent sets mill rate at 16.87

KENT — Despite a few vocal residents protesting certain components of Kent’s fiscal year 2025-2026 spending plan, the budget passed with an overwhelming majority at the Friday, May 30, Town Meeting.

There were 54 registered voters in attendance.

The selectmen’s operating budget is $5,317,818, up 3.63% or $186,282 from the last fiscal year’s number. The Board of Education’s Kent Central School budget totaled $5,197,492, which marks a 1.49% or $76,335 increase. The Region One assessment, which was decided separately and was passed at a May 6 referendum, is $2,611,729, up 3.36% or $84,818.

Total education expenditures are $7,809,221, which is 2.11% or $161,154 higher than last year’s numbers.

Total municipal spending for the upcoming fiscal year is $16,477,809 which is almost 5% and $800,000 more than the fiscal year ’25 town budget.

Several other motions were read and passed at the May 30 meeting. The first motion of the evening, to accept supplemental bills for the motor vehicle tax in two yearly installments rather than one, passed unanimously after some clarifying discussion. Starting with the supplemental motor vehicle tax list of 2024, bills will be due July 2025 and January 2026, and follow that pattern in subsequent years.

Voters approved the renaming and allocation of funds to several Park and Recreation Commission projects, such as the awaited Emery Park Swimming Area Project which would bring public swimming back to Emery Park for the first time since it was prohibited in 2019.

A motion to eliminate the Highway Parking Lot funding line of $70,000 in the Five Year Capital Plan to be distributed towards other projects, such as the replacement of garage doors for the Highway department building and the purchase of a new mower, also passed despite resistance from resident Chris Garrity who stated that taxed money should be used for the purpose it was originally voted on.

Resident Matt Star raised a motion to eliminate the town employee insurance opt-out lines in the budget, which funds an option for already-insured employees to receive a paycheck bonus rather than insurance as a benefit. The motion ultimately failed, with nays decidedly outnumbering the yeas. TK potential numbers

Garrity took the stand again to voice his concern that only $100,000 would be allocated from the town’s Unassigned General Fund, which has a June 30 estimate at $3,438,230, to balance the mill rate. In last year’s budget, $500,000 was moved.

After the town meeting concluded, the Board of Finance briefly met to set the mill rate at 16.87 mills, up 1.28 or an 8.18% increase from last year’s 15.59 after a unanimous vote.