WATERFORD — Voters at Saturday’s annual town meeting will act on a 62-article warrant that asks for a 3.15 percent increase in the municipal budget.
The meeting gets underway at 9 a.m. March 7 in the Municipal Building at 366 Valley Road.
The proposed municipal budget is $1.38 million, according to the annual town report. Last year’s budget was $1.33 million.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Randy Lessard said if the municipal, county and school budgets are approved at the levels indicated, the tax rate will increase overall by 10.66 percent, from $14.30 to $15.20 per thousand dollars of property value.
Municipal budget increases include $50,000 for paving, $40,000 for equipment replacement, $14,720 for updating tax cards and $36,000 for legal expenses.
The board is also concerned about Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget which, if passed, would eliminate state revenue-sharing. In 2014, the town received $41,565 from that program.
Town meeting voters will also be asked to approve $45,000 for the Fire Department and $75,000 for health insurance premiums for full-time employees.
The board is asking voters to approve $118,214 for winter roads, $200,000 for tarring, surfacing and or resurfacing the roads and $50,000 for future equipment purchases.
A total of $37,300 is being requested for fuel, utilities and maintenance of municipal buildings; $113,338 for town official salaries; $169,031 for use and maintenance of the transfer station; and $482,825 from 2015 revenues to lower the tax rate.
Waterford annual elections set
WATERFORD — Annual elections are set for Friday, March 6, at the Municipal Building. Polls will be open from 1 to 5 p.m.
Former Selectman John Bell is running unopposed for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. The seat was left open after the death of longtime Selectman Richard Hunt on Dec. 19.
Bell, a land surveyor who has lived in Waterford for almost 25 years, has family roots in town that go back six generations. He became a certified Maine assessor in August 2013 and served on the Board of Selectmen from 2007-10.
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