Preliminary 2018 net budget up by 2.56 percent

DOVER-FOXCROFT — With the budget advisory committee starting its work at the beginning of March, the selectmen now all have copies of the proposed 2017-18 spending plan. “All of the subcommittees met of the various departments and put together a budget proposal,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said during a Feb. 27 select meeting.
Clukey said the net amount to be raised for the 2018 fiscal year is a little more than $2,704,000. He said this sum represents a $67,436 increase from the current budget, or 2.56 percent.
The proposed 2017-18 finances would lead to a $0.22 increase in the mill rate, from $20.25 to $20.47 for every $1,000 of assessed property. The mill rate would rise by 1.1 percent from the current figure.
“We continue the second year of our paving plan,” the town manager said. He said the budget includes $400,000 — the same as the year before — so the 10-year pavement management plan can improve and preserve community roads.
“We have some additional items in our capital budget,” Clukey said. He said the budget allows for $300,000 to be used to replace a plow truck and a pair of sander bodies. “We want to use surplus funds and not the tax commitment,” Clukey said about the $300,000 for public works.
The budget advisory committee is scheduled to have its first meeting on Wednesday, March 1 — all sessions will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building. The group sessions are set for each Wednesday over the rest of the month, leading up to a public hearing during the last week of the month. The annual town meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 29 at 9 a.m. in the municipal gym to move the proposed warrant articles to the June referendum.
Two nights before the budget advisory committee starts, the selectmen made three appointments to the group. Deborah Davis and Marc Poulin were both reappointed and Jamie Gaudion will be serving a first term on the committee, the three each have stints running through the end of June 2019.
In other business, Clukey said, “Our process for hiring a chief of police is progressing. We talked about a goal of having a transition in May and I think that’s on the table at this point.”