By SANDY McGEE

BLACKSTONE — Voters approved a more than $17.2 million budget with a tax increase of 2.55 percent at the annual town meeting on Tuesday.

Approximately 333 voters attended the special and annual town meetings, which were held back-to-back Tuesday evening at the Blackstone-Millville Regional High School. Town Moderator Fred Stone presided at both meetings.
Residents voted on budget recommendations, which were previously submitted by the Finance Committee.
“The Finance Committee did their best to keep the tax increase reasonable,” said Finance Committee Chairman Normand Bergeron before Tuesday’s meeting.
Voters approved the town budget of approximately $17,290,392, representing an increase of $363,134 from last year’s budget.
The now-approved budget for fiscal year 2009 will result in an increase of 29 cents per $1,000 to town’s current tax rate of $11.40 per $1,000, according to the Finance Committee. The increase, however, is based on fiscal year 2008 property values and subject to change, Bergeron said.
“The increase assumes that all values for the town, for individual property, and for all classes of property would freeze,” according to the committee’s “tax implication” document on the town’s Web site. “The value of the town will change in fiscal year 2009.”
“The value of the town is likely to decrease next year, which will result in a higher tax rate,” Bergeron said. “The tax rate will not be the same next year.”
According to Bergeron and based on fiscal year 2008 values, the average, single-family residential home in town was valued at $305,575. With the approved tax increase and based on fiscal year
See BLACKSTONE, Page A-2
2008 property values, that tax bill, as an example, will increase $89 to a total of $3,572.
The town’s tax rate could also be affected by the outcome of contract negotiations in the future. Except for a few contractual raises and step increases, the 2009 fiscal year budget contains no salary increases for union personnel since the town is in contract negotiations. A special town meeting will be necessary when negotiations are settled and could, if approved by voters, increase property taxes again, according to Bergeron.
John Eldridge submitted an amendment at Tuesday’s meeting that requested a freeze on this year’s three percent raise for Town Administrator Kenneth Bianchi. The raise is a written stipulation in Bianchi’s contract.
“I think Ken Bianchi is doing a good job, but salary freezes are in order with the economic climate we are in,” Eldridge said.
“To change that contract in mid-stream, I don’t think would be a good idea,” Bergeron said. 
Voters rejected the amendment to freeze Bianchi’s salary. Eldridge also submitted an amendment to stop the salary increase for the town accountant, which was also rejected by voters.
The Blackstone-Millville Regional School Department left the meeting victorious after successfully persuading voters to approve a $75,000 reinstatement to the school department’s budget request.
Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the Finance Committee recommended a $75,000 decrease to the school department’s request of $6,696,494 for the town’s contribution. The school department’s budget includes contributions from both the towns of Blackstone and Millville.
According to interim Schools Superintendent Herbert Levine, due to the regional school agreement, Millville would be required to provide $35,000 less in contribution aid if Blackstone approved the decrease.
“It (the reduction) has a ripple effect,” said Levine prior to the vote. “We would have to go back to the table and find that money by cutting what’s in our budget.”
The school department’s budget also contained a $331,000 structural deficit before the reduction, said Levine.
School Committee Chairwoman Toni Harvey submitted the amendment requesting the $75,000 reinstatement.
“With the continued lack of state funding, we knew early on we needed to be prudent in our budget,” Harvey said. “Our request is less than we asked for last year.”
“Even with the $75,000 reinstatement, the Blackstone contribution is $115,146 less than last year,” said School Committee member Michael Buckley. “I’ve never known a school budget to decrease.”
Harvey also stressed the need for funds due to the increasing amount of students leaving the district to attend vocational schools. “We need to keep our kids here,” she said.
Prior to the town meetings, the school department proposed reorganizing certain programs, such as the fifth-grade band, as a way to compensate for the reduction.
“It would be wrong to take those things away from kids there now,” said Jason Davis Cooke, a recent graduate of Blackstone-Millville Regional High School. “They deserve the same programs that benefited me. The right fight is supporting the children. We need this money.” 
Voters approved the $75,000 reinstatement in a voice vote. The newly-amended school budget, including the reinstatement, passed with a hand count of 200 in favor and 116 opposed.
“I am thrilled for the district and the students,” Harvey said.
According to the School Committee chairwoman, the school department will now work to resolve the $331,000 deficit. No additional program cuts or layoffs are expected other than actions taken prior to the town meeting, said Harvey.
Voters also approved an amendment requiring School Committee members to attend at least 60 percent of meetings in order to receive their annual stipend.
Residents and town officials debated before the vote whether 60 percent was a reasonable amount of required attendance.
“Sixty percent is not much over half,” said Finance Committee member Norman Forget, who recommended 85 percent.
Voters also approved the Blackstone Police Department’s operating budget without funds needed to hire an extra police officer, which was previously recommended by the town administrator. 
In total, voters approved all six articles on the special town meeting warrant and 19 articles on the annual town meeting warrant. Voters decided to take no action on Article 17 on the annual town meeting warrant, which proposed a change to the town’s bylaws.
For more information or to view the warrants, visit www.townofblackstone.com. The warrants are also available at the Municipal Center, 15 St. Paul St.