NORWAY — Residents will vote on a $4.97 million municipal budget at the annual town meeting Monday, June 18.

It begins at 7 p.m. at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris.

Town Manager Dennis Lajoie said the budget, which does not include the School Administrative District 17 assessment, is an increase of $98,387, or 2.82 percent, from current spending.

Some of the town departments that would see an increase from this fiscal year include the Highway and Public Works Department, the Police Department and Planning and Enforcement.

The Police Department, operating on a $809,360 budget for the current fiscal year, would see an increase of $30,923.

Lajoie said the police budget is higher because the department received less grant money to cover the cost of a school resource officer.

“Now the town has to cover a greater percentage of the cost,” he added.

The Highway and Public Works Department budget, currently operating on a $983,717 budget, will increase to $1 million if approved, an increase of $19,070.

The Planning and Enforcement budget, if approved, would go from $76,628 to $86,496, an 8.8 percent increase.

Lajoie said the increase is because Code Enforcement Officer Scott Tabb earned new certifications.

“There’s a contractual obligation with the (code enforcement officer), where every time he gets a certification, he gets a bump in pay,” Lajoie said.

Several new reserve accounts will be created if the budget is approved, including $13,000 for a streetlight conversion reserve account, $10,000 for a fire department equipment reserve account, $3,500 for a cemetery repair account and $2,500 for a dangerous building reserve account.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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