RANGELEY – The town is looking to reduce spending in the coming fiscal year, but a $7,000 cut in the sewer department is not si tting well with Superintendent Jerome “Frenchie” Guevremont.

At Wednesday’s public hearing on the budget, he strongly disagreed with the proposed elimination of a part-time position at the Chick Hill plant. He urged selectmen and the Budget Committee to put back the $7,000 they cut from the sewer budget.

“I think you’re making a colossal mistake,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a cost thing.”

He explained that the part-time employee provided critical assistance as far as spraying the plant’s fields, clearing the property lines, and doing other maintenance work. Guevremont added that eliminating the position wouldn’t be in the best interests of the town or the environment.

“There is a feeling that this decision was made on less than firsthand information,” he said.

Guevremont suggested reducing his salary by $1,429 in addition to adding back the part-time position.

However, Selectman Dennis Marquis noted there were other places in the sanitary/sewer budget that could be reduced, and Town Manager Perry Ellsworth also said he didn’t support taking from Guevremont’s salary.

The budget for 2009-10 stands at $3,542,184, which is $72,632 less than this year.

“Our goal was to work together to have a zero increase budget for 2009-10,” he said. “No impact on services provided, and sharing pain where needed.”

There was discussion on the town’s revenues, which Ellsworth noted are expected to exceed 100 percent this year. All revenue goes into the town’s general fund, but several selectmen noted that some of the public were still unclear as to why it wasn’t assigned to individual departments.

Ellsworth noted that any revenue is anticipated because there is no way to tell exactly how much the town will get in a given year.

Marquis added that in the spring, department heads often spend the remainder of the budgets so they don’t lose what’s in their budget for the current fiscal year.

“Right now, they don’t get rewarded for trying to save,” he said.

Ellsworth reviewed the increases and decreases in the various budgets. Emergency Medical Services has seen a nearly 5 percent increase due to the town’s valuation increasing.

Buildings/town hall appropriations are proposed to decrease about 12 percent because extra money hasn’t been put in for building maintenance. Buildings/public safety is slightly down from last year, as is fire and rescue.

The police budget has seen a 2.94 percent decrease from last year due to police Chief Dennis Leahy not taking health insurance, Ellsworth said. Road project funding has decreased from $150,000 last year to $100,000 this year because about $342,000 has been carried forward from last year’s road budget.

The selectmen will meet May 12 with the budget committee to set the recommended budget amounts for the town warrant.