Williston photos
 
 
-> Town Manager's Message - January 2025 - Budget Overview

Greetings Williston Community –

Earlier this week the Williston Selectboard finalized the articles for consideration at Town Meeting in March. Leading up to Town Meeting Day there will be several opportunities to review and discuss the Town budget proposal and other articles on the ballot for Town Meeting. I will highlight some items from the budget proposal in today’s message.

The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget (article 5) invests in Williston’s future, maintains services, enhances safety, and keeps municipal property taxes low.

Williston’s FY26 proposed Town Budget is $15.94 million and will fund all of Williston’s municipal services. The municipal budget directly supports core services that make Williston a great place to live: from roads and public safety to parks and recreation. The budget includes investments to our police department, 24 full-time career firefighters/EMT’s, our road crew, paving improvement projects, our library, regional services including transportation and more.

The FY26 baseline budget is a 4.6 percent increase from FY25 to meet current service needs, and the overall budget is just under a 6 percent increase after including new critical investments in public safety. The estimated tax rate increase to fund the budget amounts to $8.60 per month for the median assessed home ($300,000 assessment).

The town’s budget only accounts for about 15% of your property tax bill.  The remaining 85% is allocated to state education taxes.

The Budget makes Key Investments in our 24-hour Staffed Public Safety Services

  • The FY26 budget includes funding for critical public safety enhancements:
    • A new police patrol officer to ensure timely and reliable responses to residents’ needs. Williston officers experience a high call demand with each patrol officer averaging 620 calls in 2024. The Department responded to just under 8,000 calls last year.
    • A social worker to address community well-being and provide essential support services, following national models and best practices for modern policing.
    • Both service enhancements are part of a Police Department service growth plan following a 2023 study that was adopted by the Selectboard.
  • The FY26 budget funds Williston’s full-time fire department. The fire department answered over 2,500 fire/medical calls in 2024 and is seeing a consistent increase in calls every year.  
  • These investments in additional police staff and in maintaining our fire department reflect Williston’s commitment to public safety.
  • About half of the overall budget pays for these 24/7 staffed public safety services

Balanced Approach to Financial Responsibility

  • This year’s budget responsibly balances the need for enhanced services while managing long-term financial impacts:
    • Decreases in discretionary spending to focus on priorities, such as public safety.
    • Reduced reliance on reserve funds to ensure sustainability
    • Williston is building on its long-standing reputation for fiscal responsibility while prioritizing community needs.

Want to learn more and discuss the budget proposal? Visit the town website at town.williston.vt.us/townmeeting for the complete budget document that includes a detailed overview and a line-by-line accounting of the spending proposal. I will have other short messages highlighting different items for Town Meeting over the next month as well.

I will be holding community chats leading up to Town Meeting to discuss the budget and answer any questions you have. You can meet up with me at the following times and locations:

  • Thursday, January 30th from 5-6 PM: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Community Room
  • Thursday, February 6th from 5-6 PM: Town Hall Meeting Room
  • Saturday, February 8th from 10 – 11 AM: Old Town Café and Comics in Cottonwood Crossing
  • Monday, February 10th from 5:30 – 6:45 PM: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Community Room
  • Tuesday, February 11th from 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Healthy Living Market Café
  • Wednesday, February 19th from Noon – 1PM: Healthy Living Market Café
  • Saturday, February 22nd from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Community Room
  • Tuesday, February 25th from 5:30-6:45 PM: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Community Room

I’m also happy to come and chat at any group gathering in Town about Town Meeting items. You can also send me an email at ewells@willistonvt.org or give me a call at 802-876-1168. Please reach out with any questions you have about the budget.

See you around Town

Sincerely,

-Erik Wells
Town Manager 

 
Home | Town Meeting 2025 | About Williston | Boards, Commissions and Committees | Contact Us | Departments/Services | Frequently Asked Questions | General Information | Natural Resources | Public Records and Documents | Website Map | Community | Forms | How do I...? | Online Payments
Printer-friendly Version