LIVERMORE FALLS — About a dozen people turned out Monday night for a public hearing on the one budget article that still hasn’t been passed, and has kept the town from having an official budget.

The vote, which will be the fourth, will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Town office.

Still to be approved by residents is the administrative article that operates the town. Voters have three times turned down the article.

Selectmen pared $2,500 from the lien charges at their last meeting so that on Jan. 14, residents will vote on a $195,361 budget.

Selectmen emphasized once again that the overall 2013-14 municipal budget is $52,000 less than the previous year’s, and the tax rate, at $20.80 per $1,000 valuation, will remain the same as it has been for the past few years.

“This budget went down while everything else went up,” said Selectman Ken Jacques of the $2.25 million budget. “This is a bare bones budget. The last vote was defeated by two votes.”

Selectman Louise Chabot said many of the items are contracted and can’t be reduced.

Resident Merry Carter suggested that next year the board make cuts in other accounts.

“We can go without some things,” she said. “This is coming back for the fourth time. It isn’t what people want.”

One reason the administrative budget may have such a difficult time passing is because it is up just over $30,000 from last year’s figure.

However, selectmen explained, that is because residents voted last year to move the salary for the treasurer from the elected officials account to the administrative account. The elected officials account was reduced by the amount of the treasurer’s salary.

Items in the administrative account include such things as the town manager and animal control officer salaries, dues for various municipally-related organizations, supplies for all departments, legal fees, the annual audit, computer services, and several other items.

Board Chairman Bill Demaray said the town must pass a municipal budget before the June, 2014 annual town meeting.

“We lowered the municipal budget by more than $50,000 and the school district went up more than $130,000,” said Town Manager Kristal Flagg.

Following the hearing, Flagg told the board that a local person is interested in buying a town-owned, non-conforming lot on Gagnon Street, then allow parking for congregants from the adjacent St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

The lot, and a building that had been on it, was tax-acquired by the town.

The town then had the building torn down. Because the property still has liens on it, none of the abutting neighbors, including the church, want to purchase it. Flagg said because it is a non-conforming lot, nothing can be built on it, as well.

The board directed Flagg to ask for an offer from the interested man for future board consideration.