PARIS — Following a 30-minute public hearing Monday, the Board of Selectmen approved the 2021-22 municipal budget that will be presented to voters at June’s annual Town Meeting.
Town Manager Dawn Noyes said the budget is a modest increase from last year, drawing praise from selectmen. When combined with an anticipated increase in general revenue of $101,500, the $3.8 million municipal budget would increase a little more than $50,000. That figure does not include the town’s hare of the School Administrative District 17 budget, which will be determined next month.
Much of the increase in the municipal budget is due to wages and benefits.
Among the individual department accounts, the budget for administration services is $17,000 lower than this fiscal year and capital expenditures is $14,000 lower.
Parks and recreation more than doubled from $26,152 to $58,393 due to the new mowing contract for parks, cemeteries and town properties, which was formerly part of the highway department. Much of the remainder is due to an increase in programming following the pandemic.
Debt services is increasing more than $100,000 following the purchase of a new pump truck for the Fire Department.
The board also approved the 30 warrant articles for the Town Meeting.
The budget articles will be voted on Monday, June 21, at 6 p.m. at the fire station. Elections for a selectman and SAD 17 directors is Tuesday, June 8.
In other business, selectmen approved a new complaint form for residents to fill out at the Town Office, but they did not feel a new policy on complaints was necessary. The current set-up of responding to complaints without a formal policy, Noyes said, “is not broken now,” but proposed the change at the request of Selectman Peter Kilgore on behalf of a resident.
“Municipal work is so busy,” Selectman Scott McElravy said. “I can’t see adding work to it. There’s no reason to complicate things.”
The board appointed Lisa Keisman, a member of the revitalizing board, as an alternate to the Planning Board.
Noyes reported that the new Dodge Durango police cruiser was delivered and is getting lights, radio and other safety equipment installed.
The town is also having a new phone system installed, which should correct an issue with dropped calls.
Kilgore wondered about the status of the historic stone town monument that marks the border of Paris and Norway on Route 26 that was damaged last year when a vehicle struck it. Officials were hoping a new monument would be designed by students at Oxford Hills Technical School, but Kilgore and McElravy expressed concern with the school year nearing its end.
Kilgore asked Noyes to press Norway officials about the status of the design.
Insurance would pay for the new marker/monument, Noyes said.
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