Belgrade residents can vote Saturday on the town’s $4.7 million municipal budget proposal. Here’s what to know now.

The town will raise less through taxation than in 2025

In 2025, the last time it budgeted for a full fiscal year, Belgrade raised $2,506,434 through taxation. That year, the town’s mill rate was $10.60 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

While the town won’t know its mill rate until it commits taxes later this summer, the budget it proposes will raise almost $470,000 less through taxation than the 2025 budget.

Anthony Wilson, Belgrade’s former town manager and current resident and budget committee alternate, thinks that decrease of almost 19% is an excellent sign for the town.

“You’re not looking at a huge jump in your mill rate,” Wilson told the Town Council on June 6. “You’re just not.”

In 2025, Belgrade spent over $1 million repaving roads. The town demolished two properties it owned, and it moved almost $800,000 into capital reserves to pay for big spending projects.

This year, the town won’t have to do any of that, which is part of what’s driving a lower tax commitment.

Revenue is also helping.

More revenue is helping decrease the tax burden

When looking to decrease the tax burden, Wilson said the budget committee noticed a trend.

The town had been extremely conservative when estimating how much revenue it could count on in prior years. By increasing these expected revenues, the town could save money.

For example, the committee found the town received about $40,000 more in vehicle excise tax revenue in 2025 than it budgeted for. In fact, growth in that revenue source was never less than $40,000 over the last five years. The committee is budgeting $30,000 more this year to be on the safe side.

The committee had similar findings in the recreation budget — which explains a big jump in spending in that category — dog fees and general assistance. The town either brought in much more or spent much less than it expected in these categories.

Belgrade also hadn’t been counting donations brought in by the town’s concert series; that added an additional $17,500 in funding.

Finding these small ways to decrease the tax burden was impactful, Wilson said. But the budget still features some big ticket items.

Ambulance and debt services are driving costs

Delta Ambulance increased its rates by over 70% earlier this year, and in Belgrade this means the service will cost the town $194,520 in the next fiscal year.

Debt service costs are even higher. In 2025, Belgrade budgeted almost $78,000 for debt service, and spent just under $57,000. But this year’s debt service budget is $652,880.

This is because voters at the 2025 town meeting approved a road bond project and the construction of a new fire station, half of which comes from federal grants.

The town is required to pay for these projects, and this is why Wilson is worried about a petition circulating in Belgrade.

The petition would put an ordinance on the ballot in November to cap property tax increases at the consumer price index, unless the town specifically votes to allow for more. It would also place all spending requests over $175,000 on a general election ballot.

Wilson said this is bad fiscal policy, and he worries that with such high debt service costs, a cap could mean Belgrade defaults on its bonds.

“I understand the intent behind this effort,” Wilson said. “But it’s simply misguided, and it shows a lack of understanding of how municipalities work.”

Carol Carothers, leading a group called Concerned Citizens for Tax Relief, collected signatures to get the ordinance on the ballot in Belgrade at the polls for Tuesday’s primary election, her Facebook posts state.

The petition garnered 279 signatures, she wrote, and Carothers will now look to get them notarized and give the petition to the board.

Belgrade residents can vote on the municipal budget at the town meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday at 1 Center Drive.