Waterville council to consider proposed $42.8 million city, school budget

WATERVILLE — The City Council on Tuesday will consider taking a first vote on a proposed $42.8 million municipal and school budget for 2019-20 that represents an increase over the current $41 million budget.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Chace Community Forum at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons at 150 Main St. downtown.

The proposed municipal budget is $17.9 million, which reflects a $717,468 increase over the $17.2 million budget passed last year.

“That $717,468 increase is expenditures only, not taking into account revenues,” City Manager Michael Roy said Friday. “When you take into account revenues, using TIF money, surplus and drug forfeiture money, the net on the city side is $237,500, and on the school side, we don’t know the final number for the revenues. So all I can tell you is that the school request, expenditure-wise, is $24.8 million.”

As of 4:20 p.m. Friday, school officials had not yet learned from the state what schools will receive in basic subsidy or reimbursement, according to Roy. He said they had been checking for that information every half hour.

“We still don’t have the final numbers for the school department, so at this time, we are proposing an expenditure and revenue picture of a 0.75 mil rate increase budget,” Roy said.

He said the city’s finance committee met this week and came up with a proposed budget that represents a tax rate increase of 75 cents per $1,000 worth of assessed valuation.

“I think the important thing is that we can’t look at this proposed budget in isolation of what we may be faced with in the future. So I think that the mil rate increase the finance committee is proposing is very reasonable in light of increases that we know are coming down the line,” he said. “We will also have revenue increases coming down the line that will help next year — more revenue. I think the finance committee wanted to be sensitive to what the demands will be next year. So I think this is a prudent course to take.”

Roy said the council could decide to lower the tax rate increase further.

The council voted 7-0 on June 18 to declare an emergency to be able to continue funding city needs such as payroll after the end of June, when the city’s fiscal year ends, because they had not yet approved a proposed budget for 2019-20. The council had been waiting for the state to approve a budget before it voted on the city and school budget.

The Waterville City Council meets in its new home, The Chace Community Forum, in the new Colby dorm downtown on Oct. 2, 2018. The council will address the municipal and school budget on Tuesday. Morning Sentinel file photo by Michael G. Seamans

In other matters Tuesday, the council will consider a final vote to sell city-owned property off Airport Road for $70,000 to Pondwood Self Storage, which wants to construct a building there to rent for warehousing or other uses. Councilors took a first vote June 18 to authorize Roy to negotiate a contract for the sale of the property, Lot No. 5 in the Airport Business Park. It is one of seven remaining in the park, which is an approved city subdivision. Roy said the city listed the lot for sale for $73,000, and Pondwood offered $70,000.

Councilors also will consider taking a first vote to sell undeveloped, city-owned land off Airport Road to Leo St. Peter for $12,000 per acre.

On June 18, councilors voted to table voting on the matter until the council’s next meeting after St. Peter said he did not really want to pay for a survey. The council asked city officials to get an estimate of what a survey would cost.

St. Peter said his goal is to connect his property with Airport Road to have access to Interstate 95 and Kennedy Memorial Drive, but he is “kind of landlocked” and wants to see a road built.

He said he needs three lots. The city eventually will build a road to connect Mitchell Road to Airport Road, according to St. Peter, who suggested that be done to enable him to have access.

Roy estimated the cost to build a road from the dead-end road to Mitchell Road at $1 million.

Mayor Nick Isgro asked St. Peter if he still would want to buy the property if the city did not install water and sewer there. St. Peter said he would. He agreed the council should table the issue until the next council meeting to allow the city time to get a cost estimate for surveying the property. Councilors voted 7-0 to table.

The land is beyond the end of the paved area of Airport Road and is part of a much larger parcel the city bought in 2012.

Councilors also will consider authorizing Roy to sell the site of a former playground on Sterling Street. Councilors postponed taking a vote June 18 after neighbors in the area said their children play there and they would mow and maintain it.