The Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday unanimously approved a $1.67 million budget for fiscal year 2011 that will see a decrease in total assessments to the six Island towns, with small increases in Edgartown and Aquinnah.

A slight increase in MVC spending will be offset by an increase in revenue. Slight increases in assessments can be tracked to changes in equalized valuations in Aquinnah and Edgartown.

Town assessments account for $794,000 of the commission’s budget. By statute, the assessments are mandatory and not subject to approval by four of the six Island towns, as is the case with the regional high school budget.

Edgartown will pay the largest assessment of $286,829; Chilmark will pay $120,146, Oak Bluffs $118,757, Tisbury $118,721, West Tisbury $113,264 and Aquinnah $29,539.

John Breckenridge, chairman of the commission finance committee, said he was optimistic that the towns will support the commission budget, which drew darts in some towns last year because it included salary increases in a year when some towns froze their own increases.

“This year we budgeted a zero per cent increase for [cost of living adjustments],” Mr. Breckenridge said. “Hopefully this will help us to march together, while honoring all the hard work that all our employees do. This budget was approved after a lot of sharpening of pencils . . . we tried to cut every conceivable corner.”

After some debate, the commission also agreed to add $25,000 back into the salary portion of the budget to help compensate employees for an increase they will pay this year in health insurance costs. MVC employees previously paid 10 per cent of their health insurance costs; this year they start paying 25 per cent.