SANFORD — Town Meeting representatives handily approved a $54.9 million combined municipal and school budget Tuesday, agreeing only to one change: To add $1,020 to the Historical Committee’s appropriation.
In a bid to try and ensure no increase in property taxes, the majority of articles recommended by the Finance Committee in the no-frills budget were flat-funded, saw cuts, or saw modest increases for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
There were no “nays” heard until article 15 of the 44-article warrant was announced, perhaps the first time in many years there has been so little debate on the Town Meeting floor. Article 15 was when Town Meeting member and Historical Committee member Lawrence Furbish made the request which restored the committee’s funding to $10,200, the same as this year’s appropriation.
There was some dissent about the extra $1,020 appropriation, with some Town Meeting members pointing out that times are tough and town and school departments, as well as outside agencies, have seen their budgets trimmed.
Town Meeting members Gerald and Sue Coveney were against the proposal.
“We asked others to cut back,” said Gerald Coveney.
“I appreciate what the historical committee does,” said Sue Coveney, but she pointed out that the appropriation for social service agencies was trimmed by a total of $20,000.
About 70 of the 82 elected Town Meeting representatives attended the session at Sanford High School. The meeting began at 7 p.m. and wound down at 8:47 p.m.
Passage of the budget is not expected to raise the mil rate, which is the amount per $1,000 worth of property the town charges in taxes. And while all factors have not played into the mil rate at this stage ”“ Treasurer Paula Simpson has said property values have not yet been tweaked up or down ”“ passage of the budget means the tax rate could decrease, a bit, to $15.67, rather than the $15.70 taxpayers now ante up per $1,000 worth of property.
Avoiding a tax increase was the goal of both the Town Council and the School Committee. While the schools were able to hold the line on spending without a layoff, that wasn’t true of the municipal side, where six full-time positions were cut and layoffs ensued.
The municipal and school budget process begins with the Town Manager, Town Council and the School Committee, respectively, and those recommendations are passed along to the elected Finance Committee for further scrutiny. It is that body’s recommendations that appear for a vote on the Town Meeting warrant.
Finance Committee chairman David Nickerson said the process itself made for a smooth Town Meeting.
“The Town Council, School Committee and Finance Committee were all interested in seeing no tax increase,” said Nickerson. “If the revenue projections are correct, there should be no tax increase. I’m pleased with the result.”
Town Meeting member Faith Ballenger said the televised Finance Committee meetings and an informational meeting two weeks ago helped keep the town meeting members informed.
Town Meeting member Fred Boyle, noting that the appropriation for Trafton Senior Center was earmarked at $8,123 for next year, asked that the amount for Nasson Community Center, set at $4,500, be increased to match the Trafton amount. He pointed out that fuel, maintenance, utilities and other expenses are up considerably this year and he said the community center plays a vital role in town, offering low or no cost activities in this faltering economy. His bid for an increase was rejected, 46 to 24.
For years, the town has appropriated 100 percent of revenue it receives from snowmobile registrations to the Southern Maine Sno-Goers Club to buy equipment and maintain trails. Town Meeting member Ray Sargent suggested that be cut back to 50 percent.
“As we’ve gone through the articles (there have been) some tough decisions,” he said. “To me, this is a luxury item.”
Voters didn’t agree.
When it came time for the school articles, Town Meeting member Marge Trowbridge asked that they all be read; in prior years, members have voted to waive the reading and grouped most school articles into one vote.
“I don’t think it’s fair that we waive the reading,” said Trowbridge, who pointed out that the television audience watching the meeting from home didn’t have the benefit of the warrant in front of them.
Town Meeting member Gilles Auger moved the articles be voted upon in a group.
“You’ve just lost half of the television viewers, they’ve switched over to watch the Red Sox,” he said.
Auger got his wish, with just the school articles, with the exception of a few that require a poll of the members.
While the Town Meeting result is final for the municipal budget, the school budget will see a further vote. The school consolidation law mandates all towns hold a school budget validation vote and that includes Sanford. That referendum vote is set for June 9.
— Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or at twells@journaltribune.com.
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