LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted Wednesday to approve a $3.24 million municipal budget to go to voters at the annual Town Meeting on April 25.
The proposal is $324,611.17 more than the current budget.
The Budget Committee went along with the board’s spending plan but did not vote on it.
Selectmen stripped $75,000 toward a partial payment of a 10-wheel dump truck plow truck, $21,000 for a partial payment of a police cruiser and $12,000 for an open container for the Transfer Station from the capital improvement budget. They added $50,000 more for a firetruck, for a total of $100,000.
They also plan to use $50,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act allotment toward a firetruck. That brought the capital improvement budget to a proposed $130,500. Left in that plan was $11,500 for a closed compact container for trash at the Transfer Station, $7,000 for a grounds care/lawn mower and $12,000 for a capital improvement reserve account.
The board also removed $500 requested by Tri-County Mental Health Services under agency requests and added it to Rural Community Action Ministry’s request for $1,000, bringing it to $1,500. The bottom line remained the same at $6,500.
Selectmen also voted to reduce the library budget by $1,983.92 for a total of $113,959. The reduction came under salaries and wages and FICA, the federal payroll tax.
They added $80 to the general assistance administrator’s stipend to make it $2,000 and increased the FICA amount to $153. The administrator, Doris Austin, is dealing with more people requesting help. That budget is proposed at $9,353, which is up $393 with the adjustment. The state reimburses the town for 70% of what is spent.
Select Board Chairman Jim Long requested that $5,000 more be added to the contingency budget to make it $45,000. Of that amount, $35,000 would be used for a salary survey to make sure town employees are being fairly compensated for what they do. If there are adjustments, Long said, the $35,000 should cover it.
A public hearing on the budget proposal is scheduled for 5 p.m. March 9 at the Town Office.
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