RUMFORD — Charter Commission members voted Tuesday night to indefinitely table discussion of a municipal spending cap, because it had previously decided not to include it in the charter.
The vote was 7-0-1, with commission member Jim Windover, a spending-cap petitioner, abstaining.
Spending-cap petitioner and Rumford resident Phil Blampied said petitioners want selectmen to allow them to convene a special town meeting to vote on placing a $6 million spending cap on the municipal budget.
Blampied said the tax rate is $26.95 per thousand dollars of assessed value, a 57 percent increase from 2000.
Commission member Rick Greene, who is on the Rumford Finance Committee, told Blampied that the budget isn’t based on the tax rate. Blampied said that was correct.
“That, what you just said, is one of the things that we’re not allowed to dictate — what the tax rate should be,” Blampied said. “We’re not allowed to dictate what the tax rate should be or how it should be calculated.”
Greene agreed.
“Where the rubber hits the road is when the tax rate is calculated, and then the tax bills go out,” Blampied said. “That’s the moment of impact, and that’s why I’m talking about the tax rate. There are a couple of things behind that. One is the increase in spending and the other is the collapse in the tax base.”
Commission member Amy Bernard, also the town manager of Paris, said the discussion was becoming confused.
“You’re telling us we can’t discuss how the tax rate is calculated,” she said. “I know how the tax rate is calculated. It has to do with revenues. If your revenues go down, and even if you keep your budget the same and your revenues go down, your tax rate is going to go up, because you have to bill the people for those services that you don’t have money coming in from other places for.”
“That’s not the case in Rumford,” Blampied said. “In the last year, the prior year budget was $6.9 million and this year, it’s $7.8 million. We’re one of the few communities in New England where the municipal budget is actually greater than the school budget.”
Bernard said she understood that and asked what offsets what isn’t raised through property taxes.
“And that needs to be calculated in when you’re talking about a mill rate,” she said.
Commission Chairman Chris Brennick tried unsuccessfully to stop the off-topic discussion while the pair debated.
Later, Brennick sought clarification from Blampied on his statement that Rumford’s municipal budget is more than the Regional School Unit 10 budget. He said the municipal budget is $7.8 million, whereas the school budget is $36 million.
Blampied said he was referring to Rumford’s share of that $36 million.
Commission member Peter Chase said the petition has its own language and is going through the process to get on the charter pending voter approval, so members didn’t need to come up with language to that effect.
“Why do we need to decide on this when you guys already did the work?” Chase asked.
Greene said when he became a commission member, it was with the understanding that the group would do what it could to leave everything in the hands of the governing body — the people. Instituting a spending cap would take away the right of the people to decide what they wanted for a budget to get the type of services they want, he said.
“A spending cap severely limits what voters can do in the future,” Greene said. “This (petition) should be up to voters — not this commission.”
When asked what the purpose for the petition was, Blampied replied, “We’re trying to save the town.”
“From bankruptcy,” commission member and petitioner Jim Windover added.
Blampied said there are 100 properties heading toward foreclosure because people can’t afford to pay their taxes.
“I am going on record to say that I have met with the town auditor and he said Rumford is in really good (financial) shape,” Greene said.
Blampied disagreed and said the municipal government is laundering money.
Brennick and others strongly disagreed and Brennick stopped the discussion, reiterating what Greene said.
“Every auditor’s report I have seen and heard has said that Rumford is rock-solid and strong financially,” Brennick said.
Chase motioned to table discussion indefinitely.
After it was approved and Blampied left, resident Dick Lovejoy suggested adding language to the June ballot asking voters if they want to eliminate the charter.
He said Rumford has ordinances to run town government without a charter. He added that the charter will only hinder ongoing efforts to regionalize with Mexico.
“Mexico runs perfectly fine without a charter and Rumford can, too,” Lovejoy said.
The commission approved adding language that limits interim town managers to contracts up to six months at a time for a maximum of one year, should there be a town manager vacancy.
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