RANGELEY — Residents will be asked Tuesday to consider a municipal budget of $5.1 million for 2023-24.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office.
A yes-or-no vote on the $5.5 million Regional School Unit 78 budget will also be held. It’s an increase of $255,305, or 4.9% more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Voters will have six candidates to consider for two selectmen for three-year terms.
Four residents are vying for two RSU 78 director seats.
The municipal budget is up 2.2% over last year, primarily due to appropriations for capital reserve accounts, Town Manager Joe Roach wrote in an email.
“Rangeley has a good history of funding reserve accounts for anticipated major purchases and projects.,” he wrote. “The Town has been fortunate over the past two budget years to utilize funds from the General Reserve Account to complement some of the standard reserve accounts, which resulted in lower amounts to be raised in those years. We are now back to raising typical amounts for Reserves, plus a little more in certain areas. The amounts being requested this year for the Capital Improvement Program are $65,000 more than what the tTown raised in FY ’21 before the General Reserve was utilized.”
The proposed spending package is $423,000 more than the current budget, Finance Director Rebekah Carmichael-Austin said. The plan does not factor in revenue.
There is $28,000 more in the capital purchases part of the budget than last year, which was $7,000, Roach wrote.
The spending plan also includes $20,000 for the first-year lease payment to replace a Sewer Department pickup truck, $15,000 is to swap an existing utility body onto a Sewer Department pickup, and to outfit the existing truck with a new snowplow.
Franklin County is continuing to work on its budget. Assuming a possible 25% increase in that budget and recognizing that the town will not determine its tax increment finance percentage until early July, “we estimate a 6% increase in our overall budget,” Roach wrote, including actual education and assumed county costs.
The budget includes increases across departments for diesel fuel and gasoline. Selectmen have also budgeted for increased fire hydrant and ambulance service costs based on information received from the Rangeley Water District and NorthStar EMS Ambulance Service.
The budget includes a 5% salary increase for nonunion employees and a market adjustment for one administrative position. There is a $10,000 contingency amount earmarked for ongoing negotiations with the new clerical unit. The Public Works/Police Union has had three positions merge in the past several months, so there are relevant increases plugged into the budget for those anticipated costs, according to Roach.
Municipal expenses are up slightly, but the amount of unassigned fund balance that the town can use to offset property taxation is also up.
“We’ve seen healthy revenues and savings in certain budget lines in the previous year,” he wrote.
The use of unassigned funds will help maintain a reasonable increase in property taxes for 2023-24.
Running for two, three-year terms on the Select Board are Anthony Atkinson, Wendyll Caisse, Cynthia Egan, James Jannace, Shelly Lowell and Alison Mason. Egan and Lowell hold those positions.
Kayla Alexander and Sarah England are running for one, three-year term on the RSU 78 board. Karen Seaman and Robert Wilbur are vying for one, two-year term. Alexander and Seaman hold those positions.
Albert Clinch and Thomas Haggan are unchallenged for two, three-year terms on the Sewer Commission.
James Ferrara is seeking a three-year term on the Parks Committee. No one took out papers for the the second seat.
There are no candidates listed for six terms on the Budget Committee.
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