SKOWHEGAN — Voters at the annual Town Meeting on Monday night agreed to call it a “rainy day” and take $750,000 from surplus accounts to offset taxes in the coming year.

The vote disregarded recommendations by the Board of Selectmen to take $350,000 from surplus and by the town Budget Committee to take $250,000.

Skowhegan Town Manager Christine Almand gets ready at the podium Monday night for the annual Town Meeting. Staff photo by Doug Harlow

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There is about $3 million in surplus, Don Skillings, chairman of the Board of Selectmen told the Town Meeting audience, noting that in order to keep the town’s bond rating in good shape, the $350,000 would be a better bet. He cautioned residents that today’s rainy day could be a deluge in the coming years.

“Taking a lot of money from surplus means less surplus for the future,” Skillings said. “I personally will be voting against this.”

Residents at last year’s Town Meeting agreed to take $1 million from surplus.

The $750,000 would bring the tax rate to about $18.91 for every $1,000 in property value.

Residents also agreed to take another $200,000, which was set aside last year in a reserve account and earmarked for a court battle with Sappi over valuation for taxation, to use to offset taxes and lower the tax rate further. It came in at $18.30 when the meeting began.

One resident rose early in the meeting to praise the selectmen and the Budget Committee for their hard work at a time when the valuation of the Sappi mill was dropping and the tax rate was rising.

“I was disappointed in the budget attempts last year,” resident Richard LaPointe said. “The budget this year is less than last year, and I think their efforts should be recognized and applauded.”

Skowhegan residents came into the Town Meeting on Monday night to address a spending package of $10,178,589, which is down 4.57 percent from the budget approved at last year’s Town Meeting. All of the spending articles were approved as written.

Town Manager Christine Almand said before the meeting that there would be a tax rate increase because of the declining tax valuation of the Sappi paper mill and the resulting reduction in Sappi’s tax payment.

Selectmen voted in March to cap the value for taxation at the paper mill at $380 million. The compromise represents an agreed upon $64 million in reduced value for taxation beginning in the coming fiscal year. Under the agreement, the town will lose about $1.2 million in taxes for fiscal year 2016-17.

In other voting from the floor of the Monday night meeting, residents backed $1,422,995 for general government, $1,343,400 for the police department, $852,341 for the fire department, $818,163 for solid waste management, $423,502 for summer road work, $559,533 for winter road work and $220,000 for public works vehicle maintenance.

Voters also raised money for 11 public service agencies, which request funding annually by petition to the town. Those expenses include $103,952 for the library, $24,000 for the Chamber of Commerce, $40,000 for Main Street Skowhegan, $15,000 for Hospice Volunteers and $10,000 for the community food cupboard.

All measures were passed with little discussion.

In late voting for proposed town ordinances, a 10-member oversight committee got approval for its recommendation that the town renew its downtown tax increment financing designation with the state for another 18 years. Skowhegan’s downtown TIF was established in 2006 and expires next March.

The Controlled Substance Facilities Ordinance passed as well, replacing an ordinance already regulating future medical marijuana dispensaries, adding methadone clinics to the institutions regulated. A registered dispensary for marijuana or methadone in Skowhegan could be located only on U.S. Route 201, U.S. Route 2 east of downtown and at the Northgate or Southgate industrial parks.

An article proposing to repeal and replace the town’s cemetery ordinance was passed as written, but a proposal to repeal and replace the town’s parades and processions ordinance with a mass gathering ordinance was defeated.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

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