RUMFORD — In addition to voting for primary candidates on Tuesday, June 8, residents will decide whether to approve a $7.2 million municipal budget and several proposed amendments to ordinances. Additionally, they will choose who they want to represent them in municipal offices.

The annual town business meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday, June 7, in Muskie Auditorium at Mountain Valley High School. After electing a moderator, due dates for taxes and town officer salaries will be set.

Articles 5 through 42 will be voted on by secret ballot from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 8 at the American Legion Hall at 184 Congress St.

There, voters face a municipal budget of $7,244,419, which is $88,704 more than last year. They will also decide whether to approve a $7.2 million budget, which is $88,704 more than last year, along with several proposed amendments to ordinances.

Driving the increase was a 2 percent hike in nonunion town employee wages, a 3 -percent hike in police union wages, and a $54,600 increase in hydrant rental fees levied by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

That fee, over which Rumford has no control, jumped from $300,400 last year to $355,000 this year.

In most money articles, voters will have three choices: Either go with recommendations by selectmen or the Finance Committee, or choose “Neither of the above,” or Zero. A few articles are worded such that defeating the article means zero funding.

For General Government, selectmen recommend $746,039, where as the committee recommends cutting that by $13,128 to $732,911. Realizing that a new town clerk/treasurer will be elected on June 8, the committee recommends raising $65,000 for that department rather than the $74,996 approved by selectmen.

They also pared $5,000 from the selectmen’s recommendation of $13,200 for the Information Center; went with the requested amount of $103,506 for the assessor’s office (selectmen recommend $100,008); and reduced the town manager’s office request of $161,630 that selectmen OK’d to $160,000.

For Public Safety, the committee’s recommendation of $666,645 is $8,700 less than the $675,345 in requested amounts that selectmen approved. They recommend spending $700 less for emergency management and $8,000 less for utilities.

The committee also recommends less for both police and fire department budgets. Selectmen went with the requested amounts of $817,332 for police and $698,871 for fire. The committee pared the police budget by nearly $14,000 to $803,430, and then lopped the fire department request by $23,871, for a recommendation of $675,000.

Of the requested $680,063 for Health and Sanitation, both groups recommend higher budgets. Selectmen seek $690,063, while the committee wants $686,600, deciding to spend less for sewer maintenance.

Both boards agreed to recommend the requested $1,035,733 for Public Works; $70,021 for Welfare; $341,045 for Debt Service and Interest accounts; and $1.01 million for Unclassified accounts.

For Public Service, the committee recommends cutting $40,000 from the $238,320 requested library budget that selectmen recommend.

For Capital accounts, selectmen recommend $305,000, which is $28,000 more than the $277,000 that was requested, whereas the committee shaved $27,000 from the request, to recommend $250,000.

For initiated article requests, selectmen recommend $219,567; the committee shaved $7,632 from that to recommend $211,935.

Proposed ordinance amendments range from banning locomotives from idling in residential areas to changing distances that convicted sex offenders must live from public or private schools or other municipal property where children are primary users.

In contested municipal elections, Selectmen Brad Adley and Frank DiConzo are seeking re-election to three-year terms. Challenging them are Frank Anastasio, Eric Giroux, Jolene Lovejoy and Jeremy Volkernick. Selectman Jeff Sterling is seeking re-election for a one-year term against newcomer Paul Lowell.

Beth Bellegarde and Cynthia Kelley each seek the town clerk/treasurer position.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com