LEWISTON – City support for parochial school buses, books and testing won’t change for the coming year, according to city officials.
A city-funded parochial school nurse for those schools is on the budget-cutting block, City Administrator Jim Bennett told councilors Thursday. That’s simply an economic decision.
“She retires this year, and I honestly don’t believe we could hire a replacement for what we pay her,” he said. The nurse receives $27,000 per year, according to the budget.
“I don’t know if we’d be able find a replacement for less than $70,000, once you figure in benefits,” he said. The rest of the city’s money for private schools – including $255,235 to pay to bus students – remains intact.
“That’s a policy decision councilors made years ago,” Bennett said. Councilors will be making similar policy decisions in the coming weeks as they consider the city’s $83 million budget.
Councilors on Thursday set the stage for future budget work with a quick tour of the 1,046-page proposed budget book.
They now have a week off to consider the budget. They’ll meet again on April 4 for the first public hearing. They have until May 31 to adopt a budget, according to the City Charter.
One topic that will get more discussion is the future of the Multi-Purpose Center. The city looks to save more than $200,000 moving senior citizens’ programs away from there, and leasing the space to the Longley School. The school can move students into the building and out of temporary space.
Councilors said they were concerned about parking and handicapped access for seniors at the Lewiston Armory. They will get answers, he said.
Bennett also said he is recommending adding one employee in the city budget, a $19,900 per year general assistance caseworker. The city is seeing more people coming in needing financial help paying rent, buying groceries and heating oil.
“A lot of these are people that have been in the community for a long time,” Bennett said. “They’re not people showing up with out-of-state plates, like we’ve been led to believe.”
Demand for help is enough that the city would consider extending office hours if they don’t get more employees.
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