LEWISTON – A school budget that calls for no increase in property taxes should be an easy sell to city councilors.

Councilors are scheduled to vote on the School Department’s budget on April 29. If they approve, the budget will go to voters May 6.

“I could see this passing,” Councilor Tom Peters said. “I think you’ve done a fine job.”

School Committee members and Superintendent Leon Levesque walked the council through the state’s process for determining how much to spend on education locally.

According to the state’s formula, Lewiston needs to spend $46 million on local education and should receive $30.8 million in state aid. The rest, about $15.2 million, needs to come from property taxes.

But Levesque said the schools should have a $540,000 surplus when the current budget ends, and he recommend splitting that with the city. Under that plan, $324,774 would be returned to the city to reduce property taxes. The remaining $215,226 goes into the school budget.

“It’s right there, paying for salaries and programs,” Levesque said. “It’s called sharing.”

And by returning that $324,774 to the city, the School Department’s share of property taxes in 2009 will remain exactly equal to that in the current budget.

Councilors said Thursday they loved the plan.

“I think you’ve done an excellent job here,” Councilor Nelson Peters said. “Now we need to do the same thing on the city side.”

Councilors will continue their budget review Saturday morning, with a tour of city properties. The tour begins at City Hall and will include stops at the Bates Mill No. 5, the Island Point site across Main Street from the Bates Mill buildings, the Central Fire Station and the city’s public works shops.

Council workshops continue Tuesday, with councilors discussing budgets with department heads.