JAY – Selectmen and Budget Committee members plan to sit down Monday and Tuesday to review spending proposals with municipal department heads.

A preliminary $3.5 million spending plan is on the table for fiscal 2004-05.

That represents a 1.16 percent or $41,088 increase over the existing budget.

The proposal excludes any money to buy a fire engine or build a municipal office/ police station complex, other than reserve funds.

The budget proposal also reflects $1.97 million in anticipated revenue.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the middle school cafeteria with a review of a citizen-initiated petition asking voters to transfer money from the town’s undesignated fund to the school food service account for the lunch program.

A special town meeting on that issue is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the middle school cafeteria.

Tuesday’s budget review begins at 6 p.m. at the cafeteria.

The town’s preliminary budget reflects increases in most accounts except for donations, the library, and debt service, which went down. The building reserve remained the same as the existing budget at $100,000.

Donations declined because two agencies are being funded by the county instead of individual towns. However, Town Manager Ruth Marden said the town will pay about $1,000 more through the county for those agencies’ requests.

Marden said Jay’s share of the county tax is expected to rise to about $1 million from about $911,000 this year.

Marden said she asked department heads to keep their proposed budgets to 3 percent and several came in under budget.

“They did an excellent job,” Marden said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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