Little Compton voters will be asked next week to approve a recommended budget of $17.7 million for FY 2025, an increase of $213,127 (1.2 percent) over the current fiscal year, and will also tackle other issues.

The annual meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the Wilbur-McMahon gymnasium.
Assuming approval of the municipal and school budgets, the tax rate would increase from $4.96 currently to $5.08 (an increase of 2.4 percent), meaning taxes on a home assessed for $600,000 would increase by $72.

Also on the agenda is funding for affordable housing. When the Budget Committee presented the warrant to the community at a public hearing earlier this month, discussion focused largely on changes to the tax structure in connection with how the Agricultural Conservancy Trust (Ag Trust) is funded.
Currently, buyers who purchase property in town pay a four percent transfer tax on sale amounts that exceed $300,000. Funds raised by the tax helps support the Ag Trust’s mission of purchasing land for agricultural and recreational use.

If approved by voters, and in accordance with a recommendation by the Ag Trust, that exemption would increase to $450,000.

In a letter to voters that accompanied the warrant, the Budget Committee said it was “reluctantly” accepting the Ag Trust’s recommendation for the change. Citing concerns that the transfer tax contributes to the town’s housing affordability crisis, the committee recommended that the topic be thoroughly reviewed by the Ag Trust, Budget Committee, and the public during the next budget season.

Other highlights
• Article 7: In 2023, at the recommendation of the Budget Committee, voters approved $250,000 for repair/replacement of the tennis/pickleball courts. This year, the committee opted not to recommend a proposal for $350,000. Instead, taxpayers are being asked to approve $175,000 for appropriation to the Recreation Capital Improvement Fund for this project. Additionally, the committee recommends that remaining funds from the 2023 allocation ($225,000) be transferred to the capital improvement fund. Additional revenues are expected to be generated through fundraising efforts by supporters of the project.

• Article 14: The Little Compton Community Center requested $10,000 to support the Little Compton Senior Lunch Program, which is steadily growing. The budget committee is recommending that this amount be increased to $30,000 for the coming fiscal year to fund the cost of the program in its entirety. Committee members said that sum, if approved, would allow the community center to use its own funds to support other critical programs that support the town’s youth, seniors and civic organizations.

• Article 15 – The Budget Committee is recommending a $30,000 appropriation to support the Little Compton Food Bank. Although representatives of the Food Bank originally requested $15,000, they informed the committee that would not be sufficient to meet demand, which is at an all-time high. In its letter to taxpayers, the Budget Committee said the program is vital to the community and must be funded appropriately.