AUBURN – A plan to increase taxes by $1.8 million, cut several school positions and trim budgets all around Auburn Hall will go to the public on Monday.
If approved, the budget would increase property taxes about $137 a year on a $150,000 home.
“I’ll support it, for the public hearing,” City Councilor Eric Samson said Tuesday. But Samson told his colleagues he was leery of letting taxes get out of hand.
“That’s one of the reasons people voted last November,” he said. “I think people really understand where the numbers are coming in, and I think they’re scared.”
Councilors haggled over spending last week, sending city and school administration back to trim the proposed $3.5 million spending increase by $1 million – $650,000 for the city and $350,000 from the schools.
Staff met those goals, with cuts ranging from teaching positions to waiting to pave a gravel road. Councilors kept most of the cuts, but put $122,000 in new spending back in the budget. That would have eliminated two undetermined city jobs, a public works employee and cut one police officer from Auburn schools.
On Tuesday, Samson urged councilors to cut those jobs and reduce the budget by $122,000. He enjoys city services like every other Auburn citizen and is happy to pay for them.
“At the same time, people need to be able to afford their houses and not get priced out of them,” he said. Take the smaller budget to the public hearing and put the services back if people want them, he said.
“I’d prefer to take numbers that are backed by facts, that I can explain to people,” Councilor Kelly Matzen said.
Samson’s budget numbers were based on an arbitrary $650,000 figure councilors agreed to a week ago. Councilors were wise to put that $122,000 back in the budget once they saw what those cuts meant, Matzen said.
Then the school jobs that were cut should get the same chance, Samson said.
“I can’t say that a School Resource officer is more important than a teacher,” Samson said. “I think they’re all pretty equal.”
Councilor Donna Lyons Rowell suggested raising the tax rate enough to keep the teachers. It would cost about 4 cents on the tax rate, she said.
School Committee member David Das said he was frustrated.
“I don’t feel this has been a level playing field,” Das said. “If the number they picked was arbitrary for them, then it was arbitrary for the School Committee as well. And if they got a chance to take some of those cuts back, we should have, too.”
Auburn’s budget
Cuts in proposed spending:
• Middle School technology teacher eliminated.
• Part-time Auburn Hall phone operator eliminated.
• Part-time cashier eliminated.
• Part-time library janitor eliminated.
• Three retiring teachers will not be replaced.
• Vacant Public Works equipment operator will not be replaced.
• Auburn Hall custodian will not be hired.
• Delay hiring community relations and code enforcement officers and reduce scope of both jobs.
• Reduce public works overtime.
• Cut $20,000 funding to L/A Arts.
• Reduce social service donations from $28,900 to $8,000.
• Delay gravel road conversion on Butler Hill, guardrail replacement program, and reduce pothole patching budget by $20,000.
• Pay economic development director’s $60,000 per year salary from TIF funds.
Fee increases:
• State licenses and permits.
• Accident and hit-and-run investigations and vehicle releases at Police Department.
• Recycling bins, hanging banners and making signs.
• Water and smoke cleanups and fire alarm permits.
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