MEXICO — Town officials have proposed a $3.3 million budget for 2019-20, an increase of 4.7 percent, according to Town Manager Jack Gaudet.
The proposed budget represents a $154,499 increase from current spending.
Selectmen and the Budget Committee have recommended putting $134,000, the bulk of the increase, into reserve accounts.
In separate articles at the June 11 annual town meeting, voters will be asked to approve lease-purchase agreements for a loader and a truck for the Highway Department, an SUV for the Police Department and a lawnmower for the Recreation Department.
“Most of the equipment is getting old,” Highway Department Foreman John Blais told selectmen and the Budget Committee this month. “Something’s got to be done.”
He said the loader has about 19,000 work hours on it.
“It’s getting tired,” Blais said, estimating the cost of a new one at about $155,000.
Blais said the department should also replace a plow truck, which has been used for 12 years.
“That’s a lot of wear and tear on a truck,” he said.
Blais said the last Western Star truck the town bought cost almost $92,000 for the cab and chassis. The town would get something for a trade-in, he said.
Gaudet said the town is looking to keep the same plow system, which would cost about $10,000 to retrofit for a new truck. Doing so would save the community about $60,000, he said.
For the Police Department, Chief Roy Hodsdon recommended trading in the 2012 cruiser and acquiring a replacement through a lease-purchase agreement. He said the department is looking at a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe, which would cost less than a 2020.
Richie Philbrick, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, asked if the department could put off buying another cruiser this year since it bought one last year.
“If we push it off for another year, it will be the ninth year (for the vehicle), which we haven’t done before,” Hodsdon said. “It would have over 200,000 miles and the trade-in value would be zero.”
In addition, he said, the 2012 cruiser will need an estimated $4,000 in repairs and maintenance, including the front struts and ball joints.
Hodsdon said with a lease-purchase agreement for a Tahoe, the town would pay between $6,000 and $8,000 per year and own it after five years.
Of the $79,500 increase in the proposed police budget, Hodsdon said $50,523 would cover the cost to send Officer Nick Young to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro and 18 weeks of wages for officers covering for him. If money is left, it would go into the general fund, the chief said.
Recreation Director Wayne Sevigny said the department is looking at a lease-purchase deal on another Grasshopper lawnmower to maintain fields at the Mexico Recreation Park. He estimated the cost at between $18,000 and $19,000. The last mower was bought in 1997.
Fire Chief Richard Jones requested $400 to pay for firefighters’ membership in the National Volunteer Fire Council, which provides accidental death and dismemberment insurance. At $18 per member per month, it is a good deal, Jones said.
Jones also requested $3,500 to hire a company to test pumps and hoses.
“We did it in-house two years ago,” he said. “It took a lot of hours. This company can do it in a day.”
Gaudet said a public hearing on the budget will be held near the end of May.
Residents are scheduled to vote on the warrant articles June 11 at the Town Hall.
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