WRENTHAM - Residents Monday night face voting on another tight budget at the continuation of the annual town meeting.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of King Philip Regional High School.

The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 calls does not include an override of the state's tax-limiting law, Proposition 2 1/2, as is being sought Monday in Plainville and June 24 in Norfolk.

The town does have to come up with $80,500 more for the King Philip Regional School District after Plainville and Norfolk voters supported a school budget higher than Wrentham initially wanted. The extra funding, which is not contingent on the overrides, will allow for the restoration of five of 13 positions that were slated for elimination, school officials say.

Two of the three district towns' approval of the school budget makes it official. "It wasn't easy, but we felt even before Plainville voted their budget, we knew we had to be prepared for that," Wrentham Finance Committee Chairman Jerry McGovern said of the added King Philip money.

For the elementary schools, about eight positions are being slashed due to the money constraints. School officials have had to cut $307,000 out of a requested level service budget. Nearly $200,000 of the sum is in personnel, but no classroom teachers are being cut, Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden said.

The proposed $8.1 million spending plan jumps 5 percent or $308,000 over this year's local school budget.

Town government shouldn't lose any employees, officials say.

Employees in the major unions in town have been working without a contract for about a year. The contracts are reported close to being settled.

Town officials have been striving to control spiraling employee health insurance costs. Health insurance is the fastest growing segment of the town's $32.4 million budget at about $3 million - a 12 percent jump. The overall budget represents a 5 percent hike over this year.

State education aid is expected to increase just $126,400 or 3.4 percent.

"We are at the point where our revenue is not keeping up with expenses even though we are doing our best to keep expenses in check," McGovern said.

To help close a $581,900 gap, the budget is relying on dipping into one of the town's main reserve funds, free cash, for $400,000, which is $150,000 more than was used to shore up this year's spending. "It is a pretty big leap," McGovern said.

"We don't believe we can keep doing that. Each year we have had to increase the amount of money taken from free cash." There is also a special town meeting Monday night to address a few requests, including for funds to supplement this year's budget that ends June 30, most notably health insurance.

Another article on the agenda seeks a bylaw for stormwater management that is required by the federal government and had been put off from the April town meeting.

STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.