RAYMOND – Despite the repeated warnings of a vocal minority, the majority of Raymond voters approved every warrant article at Tuesday night’s annual town meeting.
Attendance peaked near 180 in the early stages of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, which was held in the Jordan-Small Middle School gym. The voters approved the various components of a $4.38 million municipal budget that increases property taxes 2.67 percent, as well as an $885,000 capital improvement bond, and a $50,000 appropriation toward a 347-acre community forest project along Conesca Road.
A majority of voters also approved a $15,000 donation from the Open Space Fund account to the Boy Scouts Pine Tree Council, which will use the money to purchase and conserve a 30-acre parcel of land located across the Tenny River from Camp Hinds.
Peter Leavitt questioned why the town would help a nonprofit organization that is not required to pay property taxes.
“Is the town at this point in time prepared to take land that is on the tax rolls and take it off the tax rolls, especially to benefit an organization that contributes no taxes to the town of Raymond?” Leavitt said.
Later in the evening, the remaining town meeting participants approved a $500,000 increase in the town’s municipal property tax levy limit in a 62-33 vote by secret ballot, resetting the limit to $2,721,087. Leavitt’s brother, former Selectman Charles Leavitt, warned residents that the levy limit hike meant a permanently expanded property tax regime, and questioned why town officials had not used language that would have allowed a one-year increase in the levy limit instead.
“For the 3,800 who aren’t here tonight, remember this moment right now,” Charles Leavitt said. “This body here, these two boards, are now increasing your taxes by a half-million dollars ongoing forever. Thank you.”
Selectman Joe Bruno said that, despite the permanent increase in the limit, the increased property tax burden would not be repeated next year.
“You have $425,000 in one-time capital projects, which is most of that $500,000,” Bruno said. “In the next three years, you’re going to retire hundreds of thousands in bond payments. So, in my eyes, I see this as a one-time increase to do these capital projects and I’ll be working on the budget next year also, and I’ll make sure that we subtract out the one-time project cost in future budgets.”
According to www.maine.gov, voters can either vote to “exceed” or to “increase” their municipality’s property tax levy limit, as established by the 2005 state law, LD 1. While a municipality can exceed the limit for one year, it can increase the limit on a permanent basis.
In other action, town meeting voters amended Article 35, a $13,998 appropriation to the Parks and Recreation Department account, following a recommendation from Budget Finance Committee member Brian Walker. Walker said that he had faced considerable difficulty getting in touch with the Raymond Rattlers Snowmobile Club during the budget process. Despite opposition from Bruno, the voters approved an amendment cutting the Rattlers’ $1,600 appropriation in half.
Voters also approved the $885,000 bond issue attached to Article 44, funding a new $600,000, 5,000-yard sand and salt storage facility, and partially funding a $425,000 replacement fire engine. The interest costs on the 10-year bond amounts to approximately $104,120, according to the town.
Voters also appropriated a total of $50,000 toward the potential purchase of 347 acres of forest in North Raymond that stretches from the cliffs of Pismire Mountain to just beyond the shores of Crescent Lake. The town will now appropriate $30,000 from the Open Space Fund and $20,000 from the Timber Harvest Funds to provide matching money toward the purchase. The land, which has been owned by the Hancock Land Co. since the 1950s, could be converted through a conservation easement into a permanent community forest, according to Conservation Commission Chairman John Rand.
Faced with a revenue shortfall, Raymond officials have made up the gap and funded new capital improvements through both the property tax hike and substantial surplus spending. Last year, the town sold an easement on a cell tower on Patricia Avenue, and used $705,000 from the sale as one-time revenue. Facing a sharp decline in revenue, this year’s budget uses $428,500 from the town’s nearly $2.2 million surplus account, increases spending $51,695, or 1.2 percent, and raises the property tax rate by 30 cents, according to Town Manager Don Willard. Last year, the municipal budget was responsible for $2.42 of the $11.25 property tax rate.
The gymnasium at Jordan-Small Middle School was packed with Raymond residents during Tuesday night’s annual town meeting. Send questions/comments to the editors.
