NEWRY – Following a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, March 1, in the Bear River community building, participants will get down to town meeting business.

The proposed 2004 budget is $653,130, an increase of $56,868 over last year. It does not include county and SAD 44 school assessments, which are done later in the year.

Last year’s total expenses for county and school were $2,892,136.

“Unappropriated expenses make up 84 percent of our budget,” said Selectmen Chairman Steve Wight, who is seeking re-election to another 3-year term.

Bill Brown, one of the town’s SAD 44 School Board members, is also seeking re-election. Newry’s elections are done from the floor.

Big money items this year include:

• Borrowing $550,000 to buy a new Metz aerial ladder truck, and taking $70,000 from the Fire Equipment Capital Reserve Account to buy the $620,000 vehicle. If approved, officials intend to take out a 10-year note, which would mean paying $68,000 annually to cover a debt service of $680,000. Selectmen say the new truck is needed to replace the 1969 truck, the ladder of which has been condemned as unsafe.

• Paying $15,257 annually for five years as the town’s share of a proposed $166,000 upgrade of the Tri-Town transfer station, if Newry, Bethel and Hanover voters OK the upgrade. Bethel and Hanover are to conduct their town meetings in June.

• A $55,000 revaluation. The last one was completed 10 years ago.

“Our condos are OK. It’s the single family residence values that have skyrocketed,” Wight said Friday. Ten years ago, second homes, he said, were valued at $200,000, but now they’re being sold for $700,000.

“You think you’re keeping up, but everything gets out of whack,” he added.

Construction of second homes is also on the rise, complementing a first-ever golf course for a town, which according to the last census, had a population of 344.

Of that, only 67 people braved subzero temperatures to attend last year’s town meeting.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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