Kingston Approves $57.7M Budget for FY2025, Education Takes Lion's Share

Town Meeting voters passed a $57.7 million operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with education accounting for 54.3% of total spending at $31.3 million.

KINGSTON, Mass. - The town of Kingston voted to approve a $57.7 million operating budget for fiscal year 2025 at the annual town meeting on May 11. The budget represents a 7% increase, or $4.2 million, over the previous fiscal year.

Education makes up the largest portion of the budget at $31.3 million, accounting for 54.3% of the total. This includes funding for the Kingston Elementary School and Silver Lake Regional School District.

The remaining $26.3 million covers various town departments, including police and fire at $9.1 million, employee benefits at $8.1 million, and public works and facilities at $2.6 million. The budget also includes $176,000 for town debt service.

"The development of an annual budget is always challenging as we attempt to balance the cost of providing quality town services including education, police, fire, and public works with the need to maintain affordability for all taxpayers," said Kyle Pike, Finance Committee chair.

Real and personal property taxes account for 77% of the budget's financing, providing $44.3 million. Net state aid contributes $6.6 million, while local receipts, such as motor vehicle excise taxes and ambulance fees, provide an additional $6.6 million.

For a property valued at $500,000, the tax increase for the next fiscal year will be approximately $500. A property valued at $1 million will see a tax increase of around $1,000.

The town meeting also proposed a $350,000 reduction to the Silver Lake Regional School District assessment, bringing it down to $16,394,111. However, this amendment failed, and the original assessment of $16,744,111 was ultimately passed.

"Our committee spent an abundance of time working on this to get it balanced in response to in collaboration with the towns as well as our school," said Timothy Lewis, Kingston School Committee chair. "I ask you to humbly support the budget as it is written now so that our schools continue, can continue to improve as we go."

The meeting saw spirited debate over the school budgets, with residents expressing concerns about the impact on taxpayers, particularly seniors on fixed incomes.

"I cannot afford any more increase with what we already have," said Dorothy McFarlane, a senior resident. "You have to be realistic and balance things. There are needs. Also, we have many seniors in this town, many on fixed incomes, other people with low incomes."

Others emphasized the importance of investing in education and supporting the town's students.

"Education is a huge, huge piece of integration," said Magda Mikulska, a parent of children in the school system. "So, as of now, the classroom that my daughter is in is in the limbo. We don't know how many teachers we're going to have."

Despite the challenges, town officials expressed confidence in the budget's ability to meet the community's needs while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

"The finance committee also strives to work with both town and school officials to develop financial management and budget practices that are sustainable for the future years," Pike said.

With the operating budget approved, Kingston looks ahead to the 2025 fiscal year, balancing the needs of its residents, schools, and town services within the constraints of available resources.