As The Valley Reporter goes to press on January 28, The Waitsfield Select Board is finalizing its 2027 budget and it’s lean and tight, coming in at a 2.1% increase over the current year’s 2026 budget.
Waitsfield’s 2027 budget year begins in July 2026. That budget will come before voters at Town Meeting on March 3.
The bottom line for this coming budget is $2,850,282 in municipal spending, up from $2,797,115 over the FY26 budget.
A significant contribution to Waitsfield’s low increase for this coming budget is $32,099 in savings for health care for town employees. Like many towns, Waitsfield has seen steady increases in health care costs for employees. Here is how the last few years have looked:
- FY24 $99,136
- FY25 $102,954
- FY26 $192,010
- FY27 $$159,911
Waitsfield (and Warren) worked with local insurance advisor Craig Eilers this year on lowering the cost of their employee health care plans.
Other line items of note in Waitsfield’s budget include an increase of $15,000 in computer services in FY27. That is for upgrades and security improvements after the town was subject to a cyberattack last year. (The town recently re-couped all $81,000 of funds from that attack, other than the town’s $1,000 insurance deductible).
Road department costs are going up 4% for labor and 33% for diesel fuel. Labor is increasing $11,545. Overtime is also increasing 4% or $1,415. Other road maintenance costs include a reduction in the cost of salt and an increase in the cost of sand. Salt is down from $50,000 to $40,000 or 20% while sand is up from $75,000 to $90,000, or $15,000, an increase of 20%.
Like other Valley towns, Waitsfield will see increased costs due to changes in the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service dispatch system (See story in last week’s January 22 issue of The Valley Reporter, or click here: https://www.valleyreporter.com/index.php/news/local-news/20849-ems-dispatch-changes-for-mrvas-impact-the-bottom-line-2 )
The projected increase for Waitsfield is $24,125 and is higher than some surrounding towns, but the town administrator York Haverkamp and the select board are looking into how those figures are calculated. The projected increase is based on calls billed to 05673 and that zip code is used by both Waitsfield and Fayston residents.
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