LEWISTON – Councilors will take the next week to gather up their budget cutting ideas in time for special May 8 workshop meeting.

Councilors wrapped up their line-by-line review of the proposed $44.49 million city budget Tuesday night.

“Now that we’re done reviewing all 1,600 plus pages of the budget document, I know that we’ve all been keeping notes about ideas we have to save money or find additional revenues,” City Councilor Tom Peters said. “I’d like to see all those ideas put together in one place.”

Councilors will forward those suggestions to Councilor Robert Reed, who will compile them in a spreadsheet.

“We just want to collate all of them on one sheet and see what we’ve got,” Reed said.

He said he planned to have that sheet ready for city staff and the public by the May 8 meeting, a special Thursday night workshop.

Councilors finished their review of the municipal budget with a look at non-property tax revenues. That’s estimated to be about $13.6 million in the fiscal year 2008-09 budget.

City Administrator Jim Bennett said he’s proposing a 5 percent increase on discretionary fees and charges – including birth certificates, landfill tipping fees and fire alarm fees. Bennett estimates that’s worth $89,887 in new revenues compared to the current year’s budget.

Lewiston officials will continue their budget discussions Monday night with a special joint meeting with their city of Auburn counterparts to discuss shared expenses. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in Auburn Hall, Bennett said.

Schools

Councilors Monday also unanimously approved the proposed $46 million school department budget.

“I’m very pleased with the direction of this budget,” Councilor Tom Peters said. “I don’t believe I have any other questions.”

The school’s budget calls for $46,020,829 in spending, with $15,195,080 in property taxes. That’s an increase of $324,774.

Lewiston residents will get the final say on the school’s budget Tuesday during a special referendum.