SAD 4 budget meeting on Tuesday

Referendum on Aug. 25

GUILFORD — After residents of SAD 4 voted down a proposed 2015-16 school budget for the second time in as many months on July 29, a third version of the proposed spending plan will be brought forward to a district budget meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School.

The Aug. 18 meeting starts at 7 p.m. with an information session before at 6 p.m. The budget approved that evening will then go out to a validation vote on Tuesday, Aug. 25 via a referendum in Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington.

The budget being brought forward to the district meeting on Aug. 18 totals $7,162,270 with a local assessment for the six district communities of $3,672,811 — detailed financial information is available at www.sad4.org. Both of these figures are less than the totals voted down on July 29, of a little more than $7.2 million and approximately $3,736,000 respectively.

The proposed budget for 2015-16 is down by just under $195,500 from the previous academic year. The combined town assessment is up by 4.58 percent, with the range for the six towns varying from 3.82 to 6.15 percent more.