OXFORD — Voters overwhelmingly approved a $3.81 million budget in a brief town meeting Saturday.
With one eye on the windows promising sun and warm weather outside, some 70 residents approved all 20 spending initiatives in half an hour.
Mindful of the clock, residents gathered at the Oxford Elementary School selected Ronald Kugell to moderate the annual gathering.
One of the first motions sought to lump individual spending proposals into a single vote.
The motion failed to carry a two-thirds majority needed to pass. Speaking against the motion, Tom Cushman urged fellow residents to devote themselves to debate, not to their activities planned afterward.
“We’re here to have a town meeting,” Cushman said.
Altogether, townspeople raised $531,013 more than in 2013, a 16 percent increase over last year.
The cost increases are largely due to loan payments for a sewer system project. The town is constructing a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant connected to miles of pipes soon to be installed along Route 26.
In April, Oxford received $23.7 million in federal funding to extend the sewer system from Route 26 into rural areas of town. The tally includes $10 million in grants and another $13.3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture loans to finance the project.
Groundwork is expected to begin at the end of June.
A motion from Cushman to reduce funding to the Police Department from $674,120 to $600,000 failed. Town Manager Michael Chammings said the 15 percent increase in the department’s budget from last year will allow for hiring a new officer and cope with higher medical costs.
The additional officer will help the department handle the growing caseload from the Oxford Casino, Chammings said.
The increased budget will be offset by new revenues from the the casino, projected user sewer fees and taxes captured from businesses within the town’s Tax Increment Financing District.
Oxford receives 2 percent in taxes from table and slot game revenues from the Oxford Casino. In 2013, that amounted to about $1.43 million, according to the Maine Gambling Control Board.
Property taxes are expected to remain at current levels.
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- Oxford Town Manager Michael Chammings speaks at the town meeting Saturday.
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- Oxford residents overwhelmingly approved a $3.81 million budget at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday. The spending increase is a 16 percent increase from 2013, though new revenue streams are expected to keep taxes stable.
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