POLAND — The proposed $17.8 million budget for RSU 16 will be discussed, debated and ultimately voted on at a town meeting-style forum to be held at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Poland Regional High School.

The meeting is the fourth attempt by residents of Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland to set a budget for the district’s 2011-2012 school year, which began on July 1.

In May, in June, and again in September, residents approved budgets at meetings similar to the one to be held Tuesday, only to see them rejected when they went to validating referendum votes.

Between the May and June attempts to pass a budget, the amount being requested was reduced by about $300,000. The total budget amount considered in September remained at the level rejected in June, but more money from the district’s fund balance was injected into the budget in order to minimize its effect on property tax rates.

Taking into consideration what their municipalities would have been billed had the proposed budget passed, the council in Mechanic Falls and the boards of selectmen in Minot and Poland have subsequently set property tax rates for their towns that remained at last year’s levels.

The budget that voters approve at Tuesday’s meeting will be sent to a referendum ballot vote, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8, to coincide with the statewide referendum vote on the casino and same-day voting questions.