HARTFORD — For the first time in at least five years, residents will be asked to vote on a smaller municipal budget at the annual town meeting Saturday, mostly because of the summer roads request and questions about the unfinished Gurney Hill Road project.

Action on the 56-article warrant begins at 9 a.m. June 13 at the Town Hall at 1196 Main St.

The proposed spending plan for 2015-16 is $2.18 million, which is nearly $110,400 less than this fiscal year current budget. The estimated tax rate is $17.90 per $1,000 of assessed value, a decrease of $1.35 from 2014-15.

The largest decreases include the summer roads account, which is down by $99,850, and the contribution to Regional School Unit 10, which is roughly $20,500.

The town paid its salt shed loan, eliminating a $23,334 payment for 2015-16.

Questions surround the Gurney Hill Road reconstruction from Route 219 to the town salt shed, which is roughly 1,300 yards, according to Road Committee Chairman Harley Swanson.

Previous Road Commissioner Jeremy Johnson said an engineer looked at the project, estimating it would cost no more than $60,000, but Johnson told selectmen he could do the project for less than $40,000, Swanson said.

“The amount spent to date on Gurney Hill is over $72,000,” Swanson added. “It still needs to be fine graded and paved, which is estimated to (be) between $25,000 and $30,000.”

He said some of the $72,000 was spent on other road projects, but the Road Committee hasn’t received numbers from Johnson about where it was spent. Even so, Swanson pointed out the project will come in way overbudget and the Road Committee Ordinance requires any project costing more than $5,000 go out to bid.

“The Road Committee could not justify requesting the same budget, without knowing how tax dollars were spent,” Swanson said about only requesting $149,148 for the 2015-16 budget.

Johnson could not be reached for comment.

Voters are asked to weigh in on changes to the town’s Building Permit and Road Standard ordinances in two separate article, which selectmen recommend approving.

One article asks voters to approve spending $5,000 on bins to promote recycling. One bin would be available to each property owner. There is no recommendation from selectmen or the Budget Committee.

Selectmen and the Budget Committee recommend passage of two articles regarding the Union School, which has applied to be on the state or National Register of Historic Places. The first is to put $722 in the Union School account and the second is to allow selectmen to enter into a three-year lease with the Hartford Community Church to have the school host its clothing center.

There are 14 articles for money for various organizations, including the Hartford Heritage Society, snowmobile clubs, Hartford Food Bank, Bear Pond Improvement, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, Rural Community Action Ministry, SeniorsPlus, Tri-County Mental Health, Western Maine Transportation, Western Maine Veterans Advisory Committee, Maine Public Broadcast Network, and Lake Region Senior Services.

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