PERU — Selectmen are aiming to develop a municipal budget that will have little or no increase from this year and to keep the tax rate at $16.20 per $1,000 of valuation.
The municipal budget is $600,000, and with school and county taxes, that figure rises to about $2 million.
Chairman Jim Pulsifer said the board began its deliberations Monday night with a preliminary review of all articles. The board plans to meet with Road Commissioner Joe Roach at 5 p.m. Monday to review the Public Works budget, which is the town’s largest, Pulsifer said.
He said carryover funds of $105,000 from the consolidation of SADs 21, 43 and 39 will help the town reach its goal of maintaining the current tax rate. Town officials decided last month to divide those funds between fiscal year 2010-11 and 2011-12.
He said the Oxford County tax has risen by about $5,000, bringing Peru’s share to just under $90,000. The amount of state revenue sharing may drop by $20,000, although Pulsifer said that figure had not been confirmed.
Selectmen plan to have a preliminary budget ready within the next couple of weeks. Then, the town’s Finance Committee will begin its review of the proposal. Townspeople will vote on the budget June 8. A week or so prior to that referendum, a public hearing will be held.
At Monday’s board meeting, Paul Parent, Danny Wing and Don Roach were appointed to the Finance Committee. They join former Selectmen Bill Hine, Norman DeRoche and Andy St. Pierre, and longtime committee member Dan Tremper.
In other matters, Pulsifer said the board plans to set an initial meeting of the recently appointed ad hoc committee tasked with devising rules for use of the former Peru Elementary School to consider a potential tenant for a portion of the building.
Pulsifer said a day care business wants to move into the building, but first, a representative from the Office of the State Fire Marshal must inspect the facility and approve such a use.
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