OXFORD — Significant spending increases for some town departments in 2015-16 will be offset by the lack of debt payments.
Selectmen got a first look at the $3.83 million budget Thursday evening. It’s $13,800 more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The budget includes a 1.7 percent pay raise for town employees.
The largest spending increases are for the fire and police departments. For the Fire Department it’s $60,000, or 21 percent more than this year; for the Police Department, $116,683, or 17 percent more than this year.
The Fire Department increase is to fund the hiring a full-time chief.
Although the Police Department will hire another officer, those costs will be absorbed by grants the town expects to receive.
The projected increases have kept the overall budget near last year’s total because the town has paid off $192,000 in debt.
Yet to be factored into the amount taxpayers will be asked to raise is the Oxford Hills School District assessment. A meeting with the superintendent to go over the details of the budget was postponed Thursday evening because school officials are awaiting the outcome of a bill in the legislature to freeze the amount municipalities must raise next year at current levels.
ccrosby@sunmediagroup.net
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