RANGELEY – Voters will consider a proposed $3.58 million budget Thursday night to cover municipal government operations for fiscal 2009 and the town’s portion of Franklin County taxes.

The spending plan is up $157,566 over the current budget, with $57,305 attributed to an increase in the town’s share of county taxes, Town Manager Perry Ellsworth said Wednesday.

The total amount of county taxes Rangeley voters are being asked to raise is $556,943.

The town meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. June 12 at Rangeley Lakes Regional School.

“If you look at what is in our control we are up operationally by $83,056,” Ellsworth said.

The major portion of that was associated with increased costs of the Public Works Department that include the highway, wastewater, parks and recreation, and transfer station groups, he said. Of that amount $57,056 was in the highway budget alone, he added.

“Costs of winter maintenance and fuel left us with a need to replenish our stock piles this year after borrowing sand/salt from the (Maine Department of Transportation) Dallas Operations. All energy items are escalating at a phenomenal rate,” Ellsworth said.

Articles that may generate discussion include Article C-4, which took money from the general reserve to replace sewer pumps that were failing at the pump stations. The costs of sewer operations are divided between the users, who are taxpayers, and the entire taxpayer group, Ellsworth said.

The article asks if voters would forgive the repayment of $22,750 to the general reserve. If not approved, it is expected there would be an increase in sewer user rates, budget information indicates.

“This change was necessary to protect our most precious resource which is our lake and the article supports forgiveness by all taxpayers for the monies used from the general reserve,” Ellsworth said.

It cost $84,000 to buy and install the pumps, which were expected to increase by 10 percent the next month at the time, to do the “critical” replacement of the failing pumps, the selectmens’ comment under the article states. Of that, $45,500 was taken from the general reserve after sewer reserves were depleted.

Another article that may draw discussion, he said, is Article C-5, which will ask voters to approve the purchase of a pumper/tanker for Rangeley Fire and Rescue.

“Lack of water and usable equipment that is responsible for the coverage of 500 square miles is the issue,” Ellsworth said. “Rangeley purchased a fire truck last year from reserve accounts and there is an expectation that all plantations and Franklin and Oxford counties pay a portion of this purchase, using the funding formula that was established three years ago.”

The amount being requested from the town’s general fund is not to exceed $285,000, with Rangeley taxpayers being responsible for $154,200 of it, according to budget documents. The rest will be repaid to the general fund by the other entities.

Article C-6 will ask for 50 cents per $1,000 of valuation to be added to the town’s current capital road budget of $150,000, he said.

“A half mill of tax is approximately $250,000, and would equate to approximately an additional $50 per $100,000 of valuation,” Ellsworth said.

New this year is that all articles say “to see what sum the voters of Rangeley will vote to raise and appropriate,” he said.

In past years the number had been part of the article, he added.

“We have worked hard to present a budget that is as bare bones as possible to the selectmen,” Ellsworth said. “I hope that the voters will support the efforts of the employees of Rangeley who provide the best of services possible while spending money as if it was their own. I am proud of our accomplishments in the last year and look forward to more of the same in our next fiscal year.”