Roadwork to account for about one-third of Farmingdale budget

FARMINGDALE — The Farmingdale Board of Selectmen is setting priorities for road work in the spending plan that voters will consider at the June 15 Town Meeting.

Douglas Ebert, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said Wednesday work has been put off on a couple of major roads in Farmingdale and repairs need to be taken care of this year.

“We’re actually putting in for a grant to offset that as well,” he said. “Of course, you can’t count a grant.”

Selectmen are proposing to spend $828,750, or about one-third of the total budget, on roads. That’s about $200,000 more than the town spent on road maintenance in the current year’s budget.

At $2.6 million, the spending plan is about 12% higher than the $2.3 million voters approved a year ago.

“Outer Ryder Road is undermining quite a bit, which is going to be a big project for us,” he said. “It’s pretty much our main project for this year. We’ve already actually put it out to bid, so we have some idea about … what it’s going to cost. If everything gets approved at Town Meeting, we can award the bid and get a contractor started.”

The remainder of the spending plan would pay for payroll and benefits for employees, critical services the town requires for its operation, debt service on the new fire station and new fire truck, the town’s share of the regional ambulance service, and support for social service agencies that help people in town, among other things. It also reflects the impact of inflation on the cost of materials and services.

The Town Meeting is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m., Thursday in the Hall-Dale High School theater, at 111 Maple St.

In his note to residents in the town’s annual report, Ebert wrote Farmingdale’s property tax rate is $20.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, while the average property tax rate in Kennebec County is $16.60 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. While he said the selectmen are working to reduce the tax rate to closer to the county average, he also noted that 79% of Farmingdale’s property tax bills is due to the assessment for Regional School Unit 2, the town’s Hallowell-based school district.

While the Kennebec County government assessment has already been determined, the school district budget has not yet been finalized. The referendum vote on the school budget takes place Tuesday, the same day as the state’s primary election.

The property tax rate for the budget year that starts July 1 will be calculated after all spending votes are completed.

In Farmingdale, the municipal election takes place on primary day as well. No races are contested. Isaiah Peppard is running for selectman, Hillary Roberts is running for RSU 2 school board and Stephen Stratton is running for road commissioner. All are three-year terms.