MEXICO — Selectmen on Wednesday night approved a $3 million municipal budget for 2012-13 that is 5.67 percent higher than this year’s.
The $3,011,100 spending plan is $161,485 more than this year’s $2,849,615. It does not include school taxes or Oxford County taxes.
Town Manager John Madigan said the tax rate, once all three components are known, could rise as much as $2.25 per $1,000 valuation from the current rate of $23.50 per $1,000 of valuation.
He also said that revenues aren’t known yet.
The selectmen’s recommended budget is $115,689 more than the one approved by the Budget Committee.
Residents will act on the selectmen’s figure at a referendum June 12. It will be broken down into 14 articles.
A public hearing on the budget will likely be held in late May, Madigan said.
Amounts with the most disagreement between the selectmen and Budget Committee were recreation and the road construction and maintenance reserve account.
Selectmen Richard Philbrick, chairman, and Reggie Arsenault sided with a majority of the Budget Committee on the salary for the newly hired recreation director.
The majority of the board recommended that his salary more than double, to $30,000, for a minimum 30-hour workweek, with no benefits. A majority of the Budget Committee suggested a salary hike to $16,286 from the current roughly $10,000 for 20 hours per week.
Arsenault said raising Wayne Sevigny’s salary to $30,000 was a slap in the face for the rest of the municipal employees, because most don’t earn salaries that high.
Budget Committee Chairman Peter DeFilipp also objected to the salary hike because no performance goals were outlined for the director.
Selectman Byron Ouellette, however, said he voted for the increase because he was impressed with the number of new programs Sevigny has introduced.
“He’s done an exceptional job. I voted for the raise for one year,” he said.
The Budget Committee also cut $70,000 from the reserve account for road construction and maintenance. Committee member Betty Barrett said asking for $120,000 for the reserve account was too much in a poor economy.
A request was made by Becky McDonald of River Valley Animal Advocates for funding to help continue the organization’s spay/neuter program throughout many River Valley towns.
Selectmen and the Budget Committee agreed to provide up to $500 if sufficient funds remain in the animal control account at the end of the fiscal year.
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