The Hamilton Town Board voted unanimously Wednesday to put a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot seeking a 21 percent town levy increase, with most going to the West Salem Fire Protection District.

The referendum will ask town residents to approve raising the town’s levy from $417,705 to $505,423.

Residents would pay as much as $44.50 cents per $100,000 of equalized property value, according to Town Chairman Richard Schomburg.

He also said that the number might decrease since it was calculated using 2007 assessed value. When the 2008 assessed value numbers come in, he said, they would most likely be up and therefore the tax rate increase would be smaller.

The bulk of the extra $87,718 gained from the one-time town levy increase would go to the increase in the West Salem Fire Protection District’s budget. The fire district is asking for $141,575.28 from the town of Hamilton. That is $79,009 more than 2008’s fire district levy of $62,566.

The fire district is also asking from $62,293.30 from the town of Barre and $184,662.63 from the village of West Salem.

The fire district is asking for higher funding this year to pay off debts from remodeling the fire station and other expenses and to allow the fire district to convert to a fiscal year that matches the calendar year.

The West Salem Village Board voted in a 4-2 decision to place a referendum for a 12 percent levy increase on its Nov. 4 ballots.