NORWAY — Town meeting voters will be asked Monday to approve a $2.7 million budget, buy a new Fire Department pumper and a Highway Department grader.

Town meeting gets under way at 7 p.m. in the Forum at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris to act on the 44-article warrant.

The proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins July 1, is $110,464 (4.26 percent) more than last year’s budget. The proposed spending plan includes a 2.5 percent pay increase for employees, who did not get raises last year.

The Board of Selectmen and the 15-member Budget Committee agreed across the board with Town Manager David Holt’s recommendations. The budget does not propose any major change to the tax rate, Holt has said.

Selectmen and the Budget Committee will recommend voters approve $427,500 in capital projects, including a new firetruck, a highway truck and road improvements for the coming fiscal year.

Holt has said the $225,000 replacement for the 1997 grader, which has cost taxpayers about $88,000 in repairs, would be paid for by taking $120,000 from the equipment reserve fund and borrowing $105,000.

The cost of the $325,000 firetruck, a four-wheel pumper needed to get to many remote parts of towns, would be paid for using the $125,000 balance in the truck reserve account, along with bond proceeds of $200,000.

Voters will be asked to OK $200,000 for rural roads and $48,000 for the maintenance of in-town roads, plus funding for many of the reserve accounts for items such as bridges.

Voters will be asked also to approve $110,000 for General Assistance, including $10,000 to pay for the administration of the funds. The amount is $25,000 more than requested last year.

 ldixon@sunjournal.com

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