Voters OK $8.3M SAD 41 budget

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

A 2016-17 budget of $8,319,049 was approved by a count of 102 to 56 at the June 28 referendum across the district towns of Atkinson, Brownville, LaGrange and Milo.

Those heading to the polls also OKed — via a 106-52 total — the continuation of the process for the district budget meeting to first vote on articles making up the spending plan and then conduct a referendum to decide the total budget for the next three years.

The near $8.32 million figure represents an approximate .87 percent increase from the previous academic year’s budget of about $8,247,100.

The combined total local contributions between the four SAD 41 communities is $2,285,006, nearly $197,800 or approximately 9.5 percent more than the year before. Atkinson’s $238,907 contribution in the proposed 2016-17 SAD 41 budget is up by $21,340, Brownville’s $641,463 share is $60,296 more than for the current year, LaGrange would see a $19,376 increase to a figure of $370,414 and for Milo the community’s share of the budget would be $1,034,220 to equal an increase of $96,781.

The 2016-17 SAD 41 budget approved June 28 includes nearly $88,000 more from the state (just over $5 million) as well as an approximate $72,600 increase in anticipated tuition revenue to bring this amount up to a little more than $485,000.