Dexter council passes budget and changes

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

 DEXTER — The Dexter Town Council unanimously passed a $4.34 million budget at last week’s meeting and also approved several changes and amendments to town ordinances.

 The net increase of the budget is $182,172 which is expected to raise the mill rate from $17.70 to $19 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

 The budget proposal drew very little discussion as Town Manager Shelley Watson explained that much of the increase was due to the $750,000 road repair bond approved last year to be paid back over a 10-year period.

 Councilor Fred Sherburne described creating the budget as a “long and tedious process. The department heads did a really good job and the budget is actually quite a lot less than I anticipated.”

 Sherburne also said that councilors had discussions with the School Administrative District 46 Board of Directors “and they’re in the same pickle as us. There’s so much stuff mandated by the state and federal government that they have very little opportunity to adjust their budget.”

 Some of the key changes in ordinances include higher fees for building permits, general remodeling and additions. Town officials noted that the fees hadn’t been adjusted in several years and the new figures will be posted on the town’s website: www.dextermaine.org.

 The amendment to the land use ordinance that defines the term “corridor” also drew some questions from the audience. The change was in response to the town’s extension of a moratorium to prevent construction of the proposed east-west highway in the community. Voters also approved banning “private transportation and distributing corridors” in the community last November in a non-binding referendum.

 The amendment defines a corridor as a “tract of land designated for a specific purpose, as for railroad lines, highways or pipelines and any private transportation and distribution corridor.”

 But some residents like Gerry Rudmin questioned whether the change would discourage development in the community. “Our tax base is going down all the time. People don’t have money and many are living in houses they can’t afford,” Rudmin said. “This is like a slow death spiral. You want to encourage people to come here.”

 Council Chairman Michael Blake said that while he understood Rudmin’s position, the residents who drafted the east-west highway moratorium “have been working on this for three years. And the other side had an opportunity to do the same thing (oppose the referendum) and choose not to do so.”

 The council eventually voted 6-1 to approve the motion with Alan Wintle voting “no.”