KINGFIELD — At the annual town meeting Saturday morning, taxpayers will decide whether to approve a proposed $718,000 budget to run the town for the coming year.

The 9 a.m. meeting at the Kingfield Elementary School will feature 50 articles, including a land use ordinance that addresses decisions about town fields across from the Poland Spring plant entrance.

Town officials have developed a cost-cutting proposal that combines the Wastewater, Cemeteries and Public Works departments under one budget. The plan, according to administrative assistant Douglas Marble, would allow the new Public Works Department more flexibility to cross-train and schedule employees and start with a $15,000 savings.

“Last year’s budget for Public Works was $362,000, and this year’s will be $347,000,” he said.

The budget is $33,600 less than last year’s total, Marble said. Many of this year’s requests will be funded by the town’s tax increment financing program. The Village Enhancement Committee will ask for $10,000 in planning funds, $30,000 for streetscaping and $10,000 for a sidewalk reserve fund from the account. The goal is to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly and attractive to potential businesses and tourists.

Kingfield Festival Days will ask for $3,000 and Kingfield POPs will ask for $2,000 from the TIF funds account. The administration budget of $219,500 will take $6,750 from TIF funds. A plan to redo tax maps will use $5,000 from those funds, Marble said.

The state’s valuation of the town, based on real estate sales, is higher, so Kingfield’s share of the recently passed SAD 58 budget increased by about $300,000.

Among other requests is $5,000 for the Webster Library and $7,000 for the Recreation Department Committee, with $3,500 of TIF money earmarked for the Sugarloaf shuttle bus.

Sarah Churchill is seeking re-election as selectman, but Neal McCurdy is not running again. Other candidates for the three-year seats include Wade Browne, John Dill and Brad Orbeton.

Kim Jordan is running unopposed for a three-year school board seat.