DIXFIELD — A special town meeting is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, for residents to vote on amended municipal budget articles.
The meeting will be held at Dirigo High School.
On June 9, residents voted on a $2.3 million budget. Six of the articles were defeated, including four municipal budgets for the Executive Department, regional expenses, reserve funds and debt service.
During a June 15 board meeting, Chairman Hart Daley expressed his frustration that the Executive Department budget was shot down.
“I thought that we had scrutinized that budget, even beyond what the Finance Committee had done, and had trimmed everything that we could in the budget, short of reducing the wage and benefit line items,” Daley said.
The Board of Selectmen had recommended $302,113 for the Executive Department, while the Finance Committee recommended $306,513. The requested amount was $317,197.
Residents rejected the Executive Department budget by a 346-391 vote.
Daley also pointed out that it would be difficult to reduce the debt service budget and regional expenses budget, specifically the Northern Oxford Regional Solid Waste Board line item.
“We’re required to pay a specific amount of money to NORSWB every year,” he said. “If you cut $5 from the money we owe to them, you might as well cut the entire budget. We’re required to pay that much to them. We don’t have a say in the matter.”
Daley said the board’s hands were tied with the debt service budget as well.
At the June 15 meeting, selectmen unanimously voted to send the four budgets before residents.
The Executive Department budget will be the same as the one presented June 9. Some selectmen said they’d be uncomfortable reducing it without hearing from residents.
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