In York County and throughout the state, it’s budget time.

This is the time when budget boards receive requests from municipal department heads for what they need/want in the coming year that will allow them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

For instance, a fire department requests a new fire truck, public works says it needs more money for paving, and school districts want more money to provide the best possible education, whether it be books, computers or other needs.

Then, of course, each year, there are usually increases for cost-of-living salary increases, health benefits and utilities.

Budget season is a difficult time for those responsible for creating community budgets to balance both citizens’ needs, like making sure trash is picked up and there are enough police to conduct patrols, as well as trying to keep expenses as low as possible so property owners, who finance the bulk of local government and school district budgets, don’t go into sticker shock.

But while budget boards, and later city or town councils, have their role in making many of the tough choices about what’s essential and desired, the public can also and should play a role in helping to guide their elected officials about they want.

In many communities, the public can attend public hearings and discuss what they want and what they think are the most important needs to fund.

Also, some municipalities in Maine, like Wells, still have town meetings, where the public, not the elected officials, make the final decision.

But neither of these public venues for public participation are worth a darn if nobody attends and nobody bothers to speak up.

Too often, people complain about increasing taxes but don’t take part in the forums where they can let decision-makers know what they’re thinking. What’s important and should be funded, and what’s not.

For instance, at a public hearing on the Sanford budget, no one from the public spoke out.

So with little public debate, on Tuesday, that city’s council passed a combined city/school budget of $60.3 million, nearly 2 percent higher than the current year budget, which depending on property values, might be a 44-cent increase on the mil rate.

Although the council is for all intents and purposes done with the budget, Sanford residents, unlike in most Maine cities, will get the final say at the ballot box on June 9. There is a provision in that city’s charter that requires a public vote on the city government budget.

But in other places like Biddeford, Saco and the town of Old Orchard Beach, their respective councils have the final say on their local government budgets.

So public hearings are especially important in these and other communities where elected officials make the ultimate decision.

But often, residents don’t take advantage of their right to make their voices heard.

For several years, Biddeford held its public hearing at the large Biddeford Middle School auditorium; last year it scaled down to the renovated Biddeford High School Little Theater, and this year, because of lack of public participation in the past, the hearing will be held in an even smaller venue, City Hall Council Chambers.

Without taking part in the process, and through that, taking some ownership for decisions, residents may object to what their elected leaders decide.

By doing so, sometimes what they don’t like can be fixed.

If not, it won’t be.

For instance, Biddeford still votes in a public referendum on its school budget. And a few years ago, that budget went to the ballot box three times before voters finally approved it.

Possibly, if more people had spoken up beforehand, once would have been enough.

In some communities, like Saco and Old Orchard Beach, they usually get a full house around budget time when the public is invited to weigh in.

But whether it’s 50 people or more in attendance, that’s still a far cry from the number of people who will be affected.

Whether it’s the time commitment of attending a meeting or concern about voicing one’s opinions for all to hear, most people don’t like to speak up. Instead, they often prefer to complain about the result instead of being part of the process.

But for those who want to have their voice heard, Biddeford and Saco will hold public hearings on their respective budgets on May 4; Wells is May 5. The Old Orchard Beach hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 2.

To find out when public budget forums are being held in other communities, check with your local city/town clerk or local government website.

— Dina Mendros is a Maine native, having lived in Saco most of her life, and is the associate editor of the Journal Tribune, where she has worked for more than eight years.

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