LITCHFIELD — A final look at the proposed municipal budget is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday and Town Manager Michael Byron said he plans to present a strategy that might mitigate an anticipated rise in the school tax and fund new equipment for fire and public works departments.
If the $17.6 million school budget is approved by voters in early June, Litchfield residents could face a 70-cent increase in the property tax rate.
The property tax — which supports both the municipality and the schools — is $11.95 per $1,000 worth of property value.
The school budget for Regional School Unit 4, which serves Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales, is 2.1 percent higher than current spending. The budget affects each town differently because of variations in property valuations.
Litchfield Fire & Rescue has requested $405,000 to buy two new vehicles — a new medical rescue unit and a new tanker — which would replace three vehicles as well as refurbish a primary fire engine. The public works department is seeking to purchase a $200,000 wheeler to replace aging equipment. Byron said he hopes to do that without raising the tax rate.
He said Monday he plans to suggest using some capital reserves and some fund balance money to pay for those capital investment. Selectmen could decide to take more out of the $1.2 million fund balance to reduce the increased school costs, Byron said.
Byron said selectmen and the budget committee will look at the proposed town budget of about $1.6 million, which includes a $32,430 assessment by Cobbossee Watershed and the county tax of just over $322,000.
The town budget goes to voters at the annual Town Meeting on June 16.
Litchfield selectmen meet twice this week; both meetings are at the Town Office. A regular meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. today. Selectmen will deal with two mobile homes that have been foreclosed on because of failure to pay taxes.
The mobile homes are in two separate mobile home parks, and the real estate taxes on the parks are not in arrears.
Byron said the park owners are asking the town to remove the mobile homes, and he is seeking direction from the board.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
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