RUMFORD – When residents attend their annual town meeting Monday night, they will find something entirely different.

They won’t be adopting a new municipal budget. That will be done by referendum on June 12 when they decide whether to approve a selectmen-recommended $7,564,454 budget, broken into 31 articles.

They will, however, act on the first four articles of the town meeting warrant, which includes choosing a moderator, accepting the annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, setting interest rates for paying taxes late, and setting the spring and fall dates that such taxes are due.

They will also decide whether to pay stipends to selectmen, the Board of Assessors and moderator, as well as provide the town clerk and treasurer, and tax collector with 3 percent salary increases. Stipends for selectmen are the same as last year at $1,500 for the chairman, and $1,250 for the remaining four. Assessors’ stipends are also the same, at $1,450 for the chairman and $950 for the remaining members.

The 3 percent wage hike for the town clerk/treasure would bring her salary to $36,235. The same wage increase for the tax collector would bring his to $41,074.

The rest of the meeting will serve as the second of two public hearings on the proposed budget. The first, which was lightly attended, was held May 24.

This is Rumford’s first time adopting a municipal budget by referendum. A majority of residents voted to change from the traditional town meeting format at last year’s November election for a variety of reasons, including low town meeting turnout, and the expected higher voter turnout at referendum.

At the June 12 referendum election, voters will also decide whether they want the tax levy increase to go above that recommended by the tax cap law, which is $132,000. The law requires that towns stay within the state’s recommended increase unless voters choose otherwise.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Muskie Auditorium of Mountain Valley High School.