RUMFORD — Selectmen are recommending that voters approve a $7.75 million municipal budget, Debbie Laurinaitis, finance director, said Wednesday morning.
That is $857,250 more than last year’s budget of $6.90 million, which took voters five meetings from June to November before final approval was given.
The municipal budget doesn’t include the school or county assessments. Laurinaitis said $400,000 in excise taxes would be used for the Permanent Roads budget.
It’s up to the Finance Committee to either make the same or different recommendations.
The committee tackles the budget at 6 p.m. Monday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 9, and votes on initiated article requests Thursday, April 10.
The April 7 and 9 meetings will be held in Rumford Falls Auditorium, while the April 10 meeting will be held downstairs in the Municipal Building Courtroom.
At the March 6 budget meeting, selectmen unanimously approved $644,481 for the Fire Department budget and $6,893 for Emergency Management. Selectman Jolene Lovejoy was absent.
The board voted 1-3 against the Police Department’s request of $729,342, because Chief Stacy Carter had been asked at a previous budget meeting to determine what the cost of adding a detective was and to include that.
Carter presented it as $779,342 and that was approved 3-1, with Selectman Frank DiConzo the dissenter.
The board unanimously approved $23,647 for Animal Control.
On March 17 and 24, selectmen approved $192,905 for 19 of 20 initiated article requests for donations.
On March 24, they voted 1-2-1 against the Oxford County Mental Health Services request for $3,500. Selectman Jeff Sterling voted to approve it after making the motion, Selectmen Greg Buccina and Brad Adley voted against it and Selectman Lovejoy abstained. Selectman DiConzo was absent.
The organization did not send a representative to the meeting to lobby for the request, Terri Palmer, executive secretary, said Wednesday morning.
Selectmen continued their work on March 24 on department budgets.
They unanimously approved:
* $226,389 for Rumford Public Library.
* $111,743 for assessor. The board moved a $50,000 request toward a revaluation from the initial budget to the Capital Account to raise toward a revaluation.
* $83,512 for tax collector.
* $89,935 for town clerk office.
* $28,834 for elections.
* $185,802 for Parks & Recreation Department.
* $11,280 for cemeteries.
* $0 for sewer maintenance. Public Works Department Superintendent Andy Russell said it was previously budgeted for $45,000, but isn’t needed now because the Tax Office is collecting fees from sewer system users when assessing the sewer billing rate.
* $317,890 for summer roads.
* $614,356 for winter roads.
* $75,000 for bituminous (paving).
* $45,000 for state aid roads.
* $35,000 for sidewalks.
* $20,000 for bridges.
* $25,000 for building demolition. Selectmen added $10,000 to the initial request to demolish more unsafe, tax-acquired buildings.
* $35,000 for the Puiia Business Park. Selectmen added $20,000 to the initial request to continue getting building lots ready for prospective buyers.
* $53,751 for the town garage.
By a 3-1, vote with Buccina dissenting, they approved $93,406 for General Assistance.
The meeting was reconvened March 27 to unanimously approve budgets for code enforcement, selectmen and town manager.
These included:
* $50,252 for the code enforcement office.
* $5,450 for selectpersons.
* $24,000 for the town attorney.
* $170,362 for the town manager’s office.
* $14,000 for the town audit.
* $50,000 for economic development.
* $99,750 for the Municipal Building.
* $16,150 for the computers.
* $9,150 for the Information Center.
* $106,000 for the Maine Public Employees Retirement System.
* $474,000 for utilities.
* $153,000 for the Maine Public Employees Retirement System — Police and Fire budget.
* $119,860 for the Health Department.
* $513,500 for solid waste.
* $23,750 for municipal planning.
* $148,074 for debt service.
* $476,238 for the capital projects.
* $1,194,900 for the insurances/Social Security budget.
* $10,000 for contingency.
Other upcoming meetings include:
* April 14 and 21 at 6 p.m., hearings on ordinance requests in Rumford Falls Auditorium.
* May 15 at 6 p.m., public hearing for budget and town meeting warrant articles in Rumford Falls Auditorium.
* June 2 at 7 p.m., annual town meeting at Mountain Valley High School.
* June 10 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., annual town meeting referendum in the American Legion hall.
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