LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen agreed Monday to hold a special town meeting to have voters reconsider some articles that were rejected in June.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, July 22, at the Town Office. The Town Office can hold about 125 people, Town Manager Kristal Flagg said.
Voters approved an article at the June 11 referendum that the town could operate on last year’s budget until a new budget is passed.
Voters rejected 12 articles in a proposed $2.25 million budget for 2013-14, which was $45,774 less than last year’s budget. Articles dealing with charitable donations for the Maine Paper & Heritage Museum, and Chisholm Trails will not be revoted.
At the request of the Jug Hill Riders Snowmobile Club, an article that would have loaned the club money to buy grooming equipment but failed will also not go back before voters, Flagg said.
Failed articles dealing with elected officials, administration, debt service, contractual services, capital improvements and code enforcement will be presented as they were originally proposed.
The open-town meeting will give people a chance to discuss the articles and ask questions and then make cuts if they want to, selectmen Chairman Bill Demaray said.
Selectmen put off sending the budget articles back to voters until the state settled its budget, which was done in late June. It includes reduced state revenue-sharing for towns for two years.
Livermore Falls was estimated to get $351,328 in revenue sharing last year, Flagg said.
With the state revenue-sharing reduction, she estimated the town receiving about $234,000 this year, which is about one-third less, she said.
It is anticipated that at least $200,000 will be carried over from different town departments to the general fund balance, which is considered surplus, from different accounts, Flagg said. The town also received more revenues locally than anticipated, she said.
She presented a plan that could keep the tax rate the same as last year at $20.80 per $1,000 of property valuation, even with the town’s share of RSU 73 rising $128,000, she said. That included eliminating most of the proposed $66,960 for capital improvements, except for about $12,000 for a self-contained breathing apparatus reserve account for the Fire Department.
Voters could be asked to use some of the $200,000 that was raised last year through taxation to help pay for this year’s budget and offset taxes, she said.
Demaray said he thought it was better to leave the articles alone and let the voters decide if they want to cut them or leave them alone.
The town’s federal Floodplain Management Ordinance approved by voters last month needs to be revoted because there were some errors in in wording presented by the state for a draft ordinance, Flagg said.
She also requested voters consider raising about $15,000 to pay for legal counsel to help set up a tax-increment financing plan. Central Maine Power Co. is in the process of upgrading its substation on Moosehill Road. The project is estimated to bring in an additional $17 million in valuation.
Selectmen are considering setting up a municipal TIF prior to April 1, 2014, that would capture some of the new tax dollars from the project to use to improve the town’s infrastructure. The plan would also be to leave some of the new tax dollars to help offset the tax commitment.
It would be best to know now if voters want to spend the money, she said.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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