Rockport passes ’96-97 budget

ROCKPORT — After dealing with the thorny issues of zoning, sidewalks and signs a day earlier at the polls, Rockport had a quick and quiet town meeting Wednesday, taking care of a year’s worth of municipal business in slightly more than 45 minutes.

With no debate and only a few comments, a gathering of about 40 people approved a $2.3 million budget for town operations in the 1996-97 fiscal year.

Although the town’s part of the property tax burden stayed about level, increases in county tax and education spending will bump the tax rate from 13.25 mills to 14. That will increase the property tax on a home valued at $100,000 by $75, to $1,400.

The townspeople would have adjourned and gone home without anybody saying much of anything had they not lingered to pay tribute to Roger Jones, retiring after 12 years as a selectman.

After the crowd gave him a warm ovation — the town’s $900,000 surplus got a nice hand, too — Jones expounded at some length about changes in Rockport and thanked all the boards, committees and volunteers.