FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 voters set a $32.97 million budget for 2016-17 on Wednesday in the first of two votes on the proposed spending plan.

In a town-meeting-style forum at Mt. Blue Campus, voters also set $404,034 for the proposed adult education budget. The local share is $153,982. It is $18,544 more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The proposed $32.97 million budget, which survived multiple attempts to reduce it, will now go to voters in a yes or no validation referendum on June 14 in each of the 10 towns in the district.

The budget for kindergarten through grade 12 reflects an increase of $929,273 from the current budget.

It took nearly three hours for voters to make their decisions. The start of the budget meeting was delayed because no one from Temple was there to register the voters who live in that town.

District officials and moderator Ronald Aseltine devised a way for Temple voters to vote in a separate voting box when an aye or nay on a vote did not work.

Farmington attorney Paul Mills checked with the state and it was determined that all residents from Temple there to vote were registered voters in that town.

In order to get the $29 million from the state for the budget, local taxpayers have to raise $10.29 million.

The 10 towns in the district are Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Starks, Temple, Vienna, Weld and Wilton. 

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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