GARDINER — Councilors gave initial approval Wednesday night to a city budget with a 2.4 percent tax increase following nearly two hours of discussion, including pleas from more than a dozen residents to leave donations to community groups intact.

The budget will go to a second and final public hearing and reading at the next meeting on July 15, but it appears unlikely to change before enactment.

The meeting was the first time the councilors reviewed the proposed city budget since asking City Manager Scott Morelli two weeks ago to reduce the tax increase in his proposed $5.48 million budget from 3.4 percent to 2.4 percent, the same as the increase in the approved school budget. To lessen the tax hike, Morelli presented a budget with about $70,000 in cuts, a little more than half of which is from delaying the hiring of a children’s librarian and a police officer until at least November.

The 2.4 percent increase would raise taxes by $50 for every $100,000 of assessed value if councilors approve the budget.

The majority of the people at the meeting were there to tell councilors not to cut the funding to three nonprofit organizations — the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Gardiner, Gardiner Main Street and Johnson Hall Performing Arts.

Morelli proposed giving about $115,000 to eight nonprofit organizations, a little more than $100,000 of which would go to those three organizations, as has been done in recent years.

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Although the funding for nonprofits makes up less than 2 percent of the overall budget, the sum given to the largest three has been divisive among both councilors and residents.

At their last meeting June 17, councilors were divided on whether Morelli should exclude cuts to nonprofit organizations in the budget he presented Wednesday, voting 5-3 to leave the funding untouched.

The majority of the audience Wednesday, including about a half dozen wearing Boys & Girls Club T-shirts, applauded after each person spoke in favor of funding the organizations. Some also spoke against delaying the hiring of the children’s librarian.

Andrew MacLean, a previous mayor of Gardiner and the vice president of the Johnson Hall board of directors, told councilors that the community organizations and the library provide the cultural basis that give the city a sense of community.

“This modest sum of about $100,000 to fund these three organizations at their current rates is the tiniest percentage of our overall budget for city services that amounts to major investments in the quality of life of our community,” MacLean said.

Before approving the budget, councilors voted to direct Morelli to work with the Boys & Girls Club to develop some type of formula to determine funding levels in future years and to be more equitable to support given by surrounding towns.

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Councilor Maureen Blanchard, who has said she would rather the city give nothing to nonprofit organizations, asked the two public safety chiefs near the start of Wednesday’s budget discussion to describe how budget cuts have affected their departments.

Fire Chief Al Nelson said part of the reason for the high turnover at the Fire Department in recent years is a perceived lack of stability. Staff members at the department will look for jobs when the city starts discussing cuts at budget season.

“Perception equals reality, and the perception is we’re on the chopping block,” Nelson said. “And when that happens, they start to look.”

Paul Koenig — 621-5663

pkoenig@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @pdkoenig


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