WAYNE — A pay raise to the town manager, the fee for more patrols by the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and new recreation funds were among the items in a $1.16 million municipal budget approved by local voters Wednesday evening at Town Meeting.

The approved budget is up 9 percent from the current year’s and is in addition to a $2.03 million school budget that voters had approved a day earlier during the state primary election, as well as county taxes and several other expenditures.

After municipal revenue is taken into consideration, Wayne taxpayers will have a $2.7 million tax commitment in 2017. The local tax rate will be $14.84 for every $1,000 in property value, up from $14.57 this year. That means a resident with $100,000 in property would owe $1,484 in taxes.

In addition to approving a town budget Wednesday evening, Wayne residents also approved a new comprehensive plan and changes to the town’s zoning and yard sale ordinances.

The Town Meeting was attended by about 75 residents. The meeting began with an announcement about the three residents who were voted into local office on Tuesday.

Trent Emery was elected to a three-year term on the Selectboard, Joan Farrar was elected to a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 38 board and Theresa Kerchner was elected to the one year remaining of a term on the local school committee.

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After the handing out of several awards and distinctions to notable citizens at the beginning of the Town Meeting, including outgoing Selectman Peter Ault, residents approved a series of budget articles. The funding proposals met little resistance, though a few residents raised questions about particular issues.

The salary proposed for Town Manager Aaron Chrostowsky in next year’s budget was $50,000, up 7 percent from his 2015-2016 salary of $46,752.

After a question from a resident about the rationale for that raise, Selectman Gary Kenny explained that that raise had been offered as an incentive to retain Chrostowsky, who was offered the Belgrade town manager’s job at a higher salary.

Kenny praised Chrostowsky’s work, saying, “We as a board feel that he’s a doing a very good job.”

Another small bump in the budget came from the public safety account, where $6,000 was raised for the services of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, up $2,000 from this year.

According to resident Steve McLaughlin, residents of North Wayne had requested the hike because of increased activity at the North Wayne Dam. Some residents have observed drug dealing, “drunken parties, screaming and whatnot there,” McLaughlin said.

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He added, “I had a heard a rumor that a grandmother wanted to take her grandchildren to the swimming area and people were swimming naked there, in the daylight.”

“That’s exciting,” responded one woman at the Town Meeting, seemingly in jest,

The town’s recreation budget is getting a boost next year, with an extra $1,500 set aside so the Wayne Athletic League can pay a stipend to a coordinator, Chrostowsky said.

Charles Eichacker — 621-5642

ceichacker@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @ceichacker


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