lunenburgbudgetproject.org — written by the Lunenburg Budget Project, an independent tool for residents. Not affiliated with the Town of Lunenburg, the School Committee or the school district. The data this page is computed from: /data/topics/town-budget-growth.json
Ranked by dollars above the 2.5% levy cap, employee benefits push the budget hardest, then the schools.
1 · The facts
2.5%
a year the levy may rise, before new growth
law
2.9%
a year, the whole voted budget, FY2023 to FY2025
10 of 12
groups growing faster than the cap
$438,870
benefits, a year above the cap (ours)
our estimate
$284,306
schools, a year above the cap (ours)
our estimate
$168,340
general government, a year above the cap (ours)
our estimate
22.6%
a year, trash and recycling, the fastest
$94,340
trash and recycling, above the cap (ours)
our estimate
-$636,277
debt service, against the cap (ours)
our estimate
$571,540
all twelve, a year above the cap (ours)
our estimate
8.0%
a year, all but schools and debt
2 · What it shows
1
Benefits are 9.8% of the budget and push $438,870 a year past the cap; the schools, 57.1%, push $284,306.
2
Trash and recycling grew fastest, 22.6% a year, and ranks fifth by dollars above the cap.
3
Outside the schools and debt, the groups grew 8.0% a year; the schools grew 3.6%.
4
Debt service falling offsets much of the rest: all twelve net to $571,540 a year above the cap.
Each group against the levy cap
FY2023
FY2025
A year
Above the cap, a year (ours)
Employee benefits & reserves
$3,378,711
$4,293,123
12.7%
$438,870
Schools
$23,397,371
$25,127,554
3.6%
$284,306
General Government
$1,792,492
$2,177,964
10.2%
$168,340
Protection of persons & property
$4,239,355
$4,643,717
4.7%
$100,330
Solid Waste & Recycling
$312,634
$469,775
22.6%
$94,340
Facilities & Grounds
$884,566
$1,022,711
7.5%
$51,396
Library
$492,984
$583,890
8.8%
$36,961
Assistance
$294,404
$340,898
7.6%
$17,409
Public Works
$2,101,445
$2,225,277
2.9%
$8,994
Health & Sanitation
$99,260
$117,819
8.9%
$7,597
Central Purchasing
$77,800
$80,300
1.6%
-$728
Maturing Debt & Interest
$4,497,723
$2,941,322
-19.1%
-$636,277
Ranked by the last column: the group’s own dollars times how far its compound growth ran past the cap. Neither its size nor its rate alone ranks it.