MADISON — Town voters at this year’s town meeting are being asked to sign off on a $4.8 million annual budget proposal, marking an increase of about 6%.

The annual opportunity for residents to have their say in municipal affairs is planned for 7 p.m. Monday in the auditorium at the Main Street Middle School, 205 Main St.

Municipal elections, alongside primaries for state and federal offices, are scheduled to follow Tuesday. Polls are set to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Old Point Avenue school, 108 Old Point Ave.

In the only contested race, voters will elect two new Select Board members, who are also assessors and overseers of the poor, to three-year terms. Running are Jacob Elliott, Brandon Hagopian, Louis Milton, Ryan Murphy and Christopher Roy.

The ballot also includes election of the road commissioner and representatives on the Maine School Administrative District 59 board of directors, Madison Electric Works board of directors, Anson-Madison Sanitary District board of trustees, Anson-Madison Water District board of trustees and Madison Public Library board of trustees.

Town officials’ spending proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1 totals nearly $4.81 million, up 5.83% over the current year,budget documents state.

Proposed spending is down from what officials initially considered at the beginning of the budgeting process, Town Manager Cheyenne Stevens said.

“Each department head lowered a section of their budget — what they could, reasonably,” Stevens said.

Areas of spending includes about $929,000 for public works, $923,000 for general government, $859,000 for public utilities, $193,000 for the fire department, $172,000 for the library and $158,000 for recreation.

A policing services contract with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office came in this year at a proposed $573,000.

Proposed capital reserve appropriations total $617,500, including $175,000 for the highway department, $125,000 for road surface and $200,000 for fire department vehicles. Town officials are also recommending carrying forward about $375,000 in previously designated but unspent capital funds.

Officials are recommending using $141,000 from tax increment financing revenue and $500,000 from undesignated fund balance to offset spending. The amount from the TIF used in the operating budget is slightly higher than usual, Stevens said. 

Other revenues offsetting taxation are determined outside of the town meeting budget process and are incorporated into the yearly tax commitment, she said.

They are also asking voters to approve the use of undesignated fund balance to cover overdrafts in the last two budgets, upon completion of the budget. The money to cover the overages would come from undesignated fund balance separate from the $500,000 that would offset taxation, Stevens said.

Town officials estimate the fiscal year 2025 budget overspent $25,000 on waste disposal and $25,000 on general assistance. They also estimate the fiscal year 2026 budget was $75,000 over on water district fees and waste disposal and $25,000 over on general assistance.

“The way it’s laid out is to provide transparency as to what portions went over and approximately what those overages are,” Stevens said. “We can’t put a final number in until we have those years audited.”

How exactly property taxes would be impacted if the budget is approved remains to be determined.

The MSAD 59 budget going to voters for final review in the referendum on Election Day would come with a total of about $6 million going to taxpayers’ bills, marking a 10% increase to the portion of the district budget funded locally.

Meanwhile, Madison’s share of the Somerset County budget, which officials have already finalized, is set at $1.04 million. That is an increase of less than 0.4%.