By Eileen M. Adams,Staff Writer

MEXICO – Residents of the Region 9 School of Applied Technology area will have a chance to act on a $1.2 million proposed secondary budget and a $241,000 adult and community education budget at a town meeting at 6:30 p.m. today.

The proposed secondary figure represents a 5 percent increase over this year’s budget of $1.15 million.

The adult and community education budget is up about 3.5 percent from this year’s $233,000.

Director David Driscoll has said that the higher figures are the result of fixed costs such as salary increases, and health insurance and heating and fuel oil increases. A part-time receptionist will be hired at an annual cost of just under $10,000.

SAD 43’s assessment for the secondary program will go up about 7 percent from $509,253 to $543,327. For SAD 21, those figures are $347,137, up to $379,965, representing a 9 percent increase.

SAD 44 will see a 3.5 decrease from $253,892 in 2005-2006, to $244,983.

SAD 43 sends nearly 46 percent of the total number of Region 9 students, while SAD 21 sends 33 percent and SAD 44 sends 19 percent. About 140 full-time equivalent students attend the vocational school.

SAD 43 also sends the greatest majority of students to the adult and community education program. As proposed, SAD 43’s share of the budget is $84,324, SAD 21’s is $36,001 and SAD 44’s is $21,135. The remaining $98,000 of the proposed budget is paid by subsidy and tuition.

Voters will also decide whether to authorize the Region 9 cooperative board to transfer up to $30,000 from the undesignated balance to a fund for renovations and repairs at the school.

The regular monthly meeting of the Region 9 board follows the budget vote at 7 p.m.