LEWISTON — The City Council approved the $129 million budget for fiscal 2018-19 Tuesday, sending the school budget on to voters next week.

Without much discussion or last-minute changes, the council voted 6-1 to pass the $46.1 million municipal budget. There were no comments from residents during the second and final public hearing.

Also on Tuesday, the council approved the $82.9 million school budget by a vote of 5-2, and it will now got to a citywide referendum Tuesday, May 8, at Longley Elementary School.

Councilors Zachary Pettengill and Michael Marcotte were opposed. Marcotte also provided the lone vote against the municipal spending plan.

Overall, the $129 million budget will increase the city’s property tax rate by 2.47 percent next year, adding 69 cents to the tax rate. Residents with a home valued at $150,000 would see their tax bill increase by roughly $103, or a home valued at $200,000 would increase by about $138.

City expenses are up 2 percent, while school expenses increased 11 percent. Throughout the budget process, school officials have said a number of factors have contributed to the increase, including the new Robert V. Connors Elementary School, which is under construction. The state is paying for the $50 million school, but the school represents 37 percent of the expense increase next year. Without the new school, the budget increase would be 7.1 percent.

Lewiston schools are also receiving a substantial increase in state aid, but in order to receive the full amount of state funding, the local municipality is required to spend more.

Councilors, as well as the mayor, remained relatively quiet on the proposed school budget during a workshop April 17, but Councilor Pettengill said he would not be voting in favor.

Shanna Cox, a parent of three children in the school system, spoke in favor of the school budget Tuesday, stating that it’s an investment in Lewiston’s future workforce.

“I hope we recognize, we cannot expect better outcomes with a reduced budget,” she said.

During a series of budget workshops over the past month, the City Council cut $709,000 from the original municipal budget proposal.

During his initial budget presentation in March, City Administrator Ed Barrett said the biggest budget increases come from personnel costs such as regular salary increases and fixed costs such as a bump in the city’s payments on previous bonds.

Barrett reminded residents there were no utility rate increases proposed for the next fiscal year.

The City Council on Tuesday also approved spending $4.5 million from the unassigned fund balance — otherwise referred to as a “rainy day fund” — for one-time capital purchases, which is a combination of items from the operating and Capital Improvement Plan budgets.

The funds will be used for items from office supplies to building repairs. It includes $230,000 for the Centreville parking garage, $331,000 for sidewalk maintenance, and $1.2 million for municipal vehicles.

The council also approved the Community Development Block Grant budget for next year, which includes city funding for public service agencies, as well as housing and infrastructure projects funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bulk of Lewiston’s CDBG funds are invested in the residents of the target area, census tracts 201-204, in the city’s downtown.

Lincoln Jeffers, director of economic and community development, said the city got a notice Tuesday that it would receive $93,000 in additional funds from HUD next year, an 11 percent increase, leading to a council discussion on how to best use the money.

The council voted to increase the amount it allocates to service agencies and boost the number of agencies it supports to 14. The money will also cover improvements at Potvin Park and increase funding for Tree Street Youth.

arice@sunjournal.com

	FY 2018	FY 2019	$ change	% change
City expenses	$45,158,480	$46,108,002	$949,522	2.10%
School expenses	$74,307,234	$82,983,096	$8,675,862	11.68%
Total	$119,465,714	$129,091,098	$9,625,384	8.06%

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