D-F looking at approximate 6 mil-rate increase in 2015 budget

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — On Saturday, April 26, at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building, residents will vote on the warrant making up the 2014-15 fiscal year budget. Articles approved on the last Saturday of the month will then go out to a referendum ballot to be decided at the polls on Tuesday, June 10 at the town office.

    After working on the spending plan with weekly meetings throughout March, the Budget Advisory Committee and selectmen held a public hearing on April 2 to present a draft budget and warrant articles and receive feedback prior to the April 26 town meeting.
     “The warrant is the same format as last year,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said, with the various articles breaking down the budget into categories such as town operations and capital reserve.
    The total gross appropriations proposed are $4,068,350, an increase of nearly $133,000 or 3.38 percent from the current fiscal year. The proposed revenue total of $1,804,390 is down by just over $86,000 (4.55 percent) from 2013-14. This figure means $2,263,960 would need to be raised through property taxes, an amount just over $218,950 (10.71 percent) more than what was raised for the current year’s budget.
    Responding to a question about the mil rate, Clukey said, “The initial estimate when we started the process was a seventh-tenths increase.” He said that the town has since gotten a preliminary estimate of its assessment for the RSU 68 school budget and with a few changes the projected mil rate would increase by .61 mils under the budget presented. The additional .61 mils would lead to a rate of $18.26 for every $1,000 in assessed property.
    One article proposed for April 26 concerns $100,000 in local road improvements, with $87,000 to be anticipated to be received from the state and $13,000 raised and appropriated by the town. Budget Advisory Committee member Ernie Thomas said he had “a challenge or change” for the next budget process, suggesting that if savings are found in other areas of the spending plan then the monies be considered to be put into the road account.
    Select Vice Chair Cindy Freeman Cyr said town officials have struggled for years to get taxpayers on board with the roads, such as raising funds beyond the LD1 spending limit earmarked for improvements to Dover-Foxcroft’s travelways. She said the deteriorated conditions of some sections of streets are really noticeable after the severe winter of 2013-14.
    “I think all things considered with what’s going on with the economy and the state you have put together a responsible budget,” resident Jason Brochu said just before the conclusion of the public hearing.