LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted Monday to cut $2,500 from the liens line of the proposed administration budget, bringing it to $195,361.
The amended budget will go to voters Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. A public hearing on the article will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, at the Town Office.
Voters rejected an administration budget of $197,861 on Nov. 5 by a tally of 260-258 vote. That same figure was rejected in June and July.
The proposal included $32,695 to cover the treasurer/town clerk position, which was moved from the elected officials’ budget to the administration budget. Residents voted to change the position from elected to appointed in previous years.
The overall $2.25 million municipal budget is about $47,000 less than last year’s spending package.
Prior to trimming the budget Monday, Selectman Louise Chabot, who acted as chairwoman, said she had looked at administrative expenses very closely. Everything is very tight and needed, she said.
She proposed cutting $2,500 from lien charges. The cut won’t affect the tax rate and if the line is short at the end of the year, they will have to revisit it, she said.
The tax rate was set at $20.80 per $1,000 of assessed property value in August.
“If you look at every article on here there is not much we can cut,” Chabot said.
She went down the items in the budget. The town has always paid dues to Maine Municipal Association and Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments for services. The animal control budget is already up there. Legal expenses will probably go over, she said. Under professional services, she said, the audit is needed and Trio accounting program services is a contract. There is schooling town office staff needs to go to, she said.
She assumed the big bone of contention was compensation and that is due to the treasurer/town clerk position being moved to administration from the elected officials budget, she said.
“If we don’t have a budget, eventually we will have no money,” Chabot said, and they’ll have to close down the town. She was referring to the Town Office and the necessary staff required by law, including treasurer, tax collector, excise collector, town manager and other positions, to run the town.
“I don’t think anybody wants that,” she said.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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