Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

P&Z fund requests are up for 2011

Education spending is flat

SALISBURY — The selectmen’s final budget plan is ready for the public hearing Monday, April 26. It calls for a town government spending plan of $4,893,817, an increase of $114,317, or 2.4 percent.

Until a couple of weeks ago the selectmen’s plan included a 1.5-percent increase over 2009-10 (or $73,317), for a total of $4,852,817.

That was before the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) made a request for a total of $65,000, for the hiring of a part-time planner to assist the commission in implementing recommendations made by consultant Donald Poland in his December 2009 report on the town’s land use administration.

The P&Z budget already had $4,000 allocated for consulting work; the request was actually for an additional $61,000, to bring the line item to $65,000.

Questions on P&Z plans

When the selectmen presented their planning budget to the Board of Finance last week, members of Planning and Zoning were on hand to further explain the request. The commission (at the request of the selectmen) broke down the areas where a consultant would be utilized into four main components: planning, procedures, regulations and the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

The commission estimated the last item would cost $20,000; there was considerable disagreement among members of both the finance board and the selectmen as to whether this figure was appropriate.

The Board of Finance met Thursday, April 15, to consider both the town and school spending plans one last time before the public hearing, and asked the selectmen to reduce their bottom line by $20,000.

The Board of Finance did not make a specific recommendation as to where the selectmen should make the cut (state statute does not allow them to specify).

Budget line cut by $20k

And in a brief special meeting Monday, April 19, the selectmen unanimously voted to reduce the Planning and Zoning budget line by the requested $20,000, on a motion made by Jim Dresser, who noted that while Planning and Zoning can spend its money how it sees fit, the question of the conservation and development plan was the only real sticking point in the discussions between the three boards.

The Town Plan of Conservation and Development is a document required by the state. It must be updated every 10 years and it forms the basis for planing and zoning regulations.

“I don’t recall any serious questions about any other items,� Dresser said.

Merit pay

First Selectman Curtis Rand also addressed the $10,000 merit pay line for the selectmen, which is a decision of the Board of Finance and appears under the board’s category in the planning budget.

“I’ll try to give it away, I always have in the past and will continue to do so.� Rand has given the money to various nonprofits and service organizations in previous years.

Education spending

At the April 15 meeting, the Board of Finance accepted the Board of Education’s budget with minimal discussion and copious thanks. The Salisbury Central School spending plan calls for an increase of .47 percent, or $21,707, for a total of $4,626,160.

Finance Board Chairman Bill Willis noted a “dramatic� difference between the final product and earlier versions and said, “This helps us tremendously in terms of any tax increase.

“You’ve done a commendable job in bringing this down.�

Salisbury’s tab for the Region One budget is down slightly, from $3,040,399 to $3,022,681, a difference of $17,718 or a negative .58 percent.

The town’s total education spending for 2010-11 will be $7,648,841, up $3,989 or .05 percent.

Pay raises

And in executive session, the finance board voted for 3-percent raises for the town treasurer, the two voter registrars and the selectmen.

Latest News

Classifieds - August 11, 2026

Classifieds - August 11, 2026

AUTOS FOR SALE

1990 Mazda Miata hard top/soft top. Manufactured Oct. 1989. 64,000 plus miles. 99% original parts. $20,500. 203-215-0729.

HELP WANTED

Garden Help. Looking for an experienced person to weed my acre garden and cut back some plants. In Salisbury. For July and August. Could continue into Fall. naylor99@gmail.com

Keep ReadingShow less

Legal Notices - August 11, 2026

Legal Notices - August 11, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF RICHARD A. MCGRIFF, Late of Salisbury (26-00241)

Keep ReadingShow less

Olly Josiah Rea

Olly Josiah Rea

MILLERTON — Our precious Olly Josiah Rea, beloved son, cherished brother, treasured grandson, and dearly loved by so many, went home to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 25, 2026, at just two years old.

Though his time on earth was far too brief, Olly’s life overflowed with joy, laughter, and unconditional love. He filled every room with his contagious smile, infectious giggle, and endless curiosity. His joyful spirit had a way of drawing people to him, and it was impossible not to smile in his presence.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Samuel Marshall Busselle

Samuel Marshall Busselle

MILLERTON — Sam Busselle, Millerton resident for 50 years who dedicated himself to connecting people and improving life in his community, died peacefully July 31, 2026, at Woodland Pond, New Paltz, New York. Born in 1940, he was the son of architect Alfred Busselle and educator Martha Knapp Busselle. He grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, where he graduated from the Lawrenceville School and then Yale University, which he attended on a swimming scholarship, followed by a master’s degree from the Yale School of Architecture. He then taught high school for several years in the Boston area, where he met his wife, Rebecca.

Sam, Rebecca, and her 7-year-old son Wynne moved to Manhattan, quickly expanding their family with the birth of Katrina and Max, all the while gut-renovating a floor of an abandoned SRO on St. Mark’s Place. Weekdays Sam left the lively East Village neighborhood by bicycle to work uptown on Fifth Avenue for the General Learning Corporation in the environmental services division. On weekends he tore down plaster walls, laid flooring, built bookcases, plumbed a kitchen and bathroom, and cut a door to a sizable outdoor rooftop where the family grew tomatoes, and the kids splashed in a plastic swimming pool. Strapped into kiddie seats on their parents’ bikes, with Wynne in the lead, the family explored New York City and picnicked in its parks.

Keep ReadingShow less

Astrid Daphne Satre

Astrid Daphne Satre

SALISBURY — Astrid Daphne Satre passed away peacefully on July 25, 2026, in Sarasota, Florida, after spending the last year and a half at a rehabilitation center. She was 87 years old.

Born on April 11, 1939, in Salisbury, Connecticut, Astrid was the only daughter of Astri and Magnus Satre. Her parents emigrated from Norway in the early 1900s and settled in Twin Lakes, Connecticut, where she spent her childhood surrounded by the beauty of the Berkshire foothills and the rich Norwegian heritage that remained an important part of her identity throughout her life.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News 2026 interns
Photos by Madi Long

Meet the next generation of community journalists. Eight interns joined The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News this summer. Below, each shares a brief note on their experiences.


Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.