By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Councilors will go into their next regular meeting with no clear direction on a $63.7 million budget.

“Unless we are willing to say we can work something out, I think we have a problem,” Mayor Norm Guay said.

Councilors met for three hours Wednesday in special budget work session, failing to reach a budget deal.

According to the city charter, no more than two councilors can vote against the budget in order for it to pass. If councilors cannot adopt a budget by the end of June, the city manager’s budget is automatically adopted.

That budget calls for $64.1 million in spending, about $400,000 more than the budget now before councilors.

Councilors Belinda Gerry and Donna Lyons Rowell have both refused to support any municipal budget until they know what the city’s property tax rate will be.

That leaves the remaining five councilors, Bob Mennealy, Kelly Matzen, Eric Samson, Robert Hayes and Bethel Shields. All but Mennealy have said they’ll support the budget as it stands. Mennealy said Wednesday that he’s holding out for $50,000 in cuts in the School Department budget and would like to see some cuts in municipal spending as well.

“I’m sure there is more to cut, and I’d appreciate hearing from anyone that might have more specific ideas where,” Mennealy said.

Using last year’s property values and a tax rate of $30.29 per $1,000 of value, Mennealy’s proposed cuts would amount to 3 cents off of that tax rate.

“Three cents is three cents,” Mennealy said.

But Guay said he was afraid Mennealy’s cuts would end up costing taxpayers. City Manager Pat Finnigan’s proposed $64.1 budget would give the city a $30.47 tax rate, based on last year’s values.

“Your 3 cents could end up costing us 20 cents more under the old budget,” Guay said.

Mennealy said he would consider the budget until the next regular meeting, June 19.

In all, the budget calls for $39.6 million in property taxes – $23.8 million for municipal services and $15.8 million for the schools.

That’s a $714,000 increase in property taxes compared to last year’s budget.