SABATTUS — Selectmen and the Budget Committee began work this week on the next town budget, getting a look at preliminary numbers that include capital improvements, less revenue from the state and a higher school bill.
The current year’s budget is $3.6 million with a tax rate of $12.85, Board of Selectmen Chairman Scott Lansley said.
The next year’s preliminary budget is $4.1 million for a tax rate of $14.31 per $1,000 of property value.
“That’s not going to happen,” Lansley said. “We’re going to be whittling this way down.”
Among the choices they face, he said: “Pay more in property taxes or reduce services or defer capital investments for a better time.”
The proposed figures are expected to be outlined on the town’s Web site by Friday. The goal is to have the numbers firmed up by April 12, he said.
Selectmen and the Budget Committee will hold another budget workshop open to the public at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Town Office. Interim Town Manager Jim Bennett, who helped shape the budget, will be down from Presque Isle, on his own time, for the workshop.
“It’s a lot more in-depth than we’d ever had before,” Lansley said. “This is what we’ve been looking for for a number of years.”
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