Proposed Mexico 2023-24 town budget up slightly

MEXICO — The proposed town 2023-24 municipal budget of $3.72 million represents a small increase, said Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day on April 26.
Last year’s approved town budget was $3.28 million.
Welch-Day said, “I’m hoping to keep the tax rate the same, but we’ll have to see how things play out with the school budget and the surplus.”
She said depending on how the school budget comes in and other factors, they may use up to $150,000 from surplus to maintain the current tax rate.
“I don’t want to take that money out of my surplus, but we’ll have enough money moving forward from this year to cover what we need to use for taxes,” said Welch-Day.
She said the department budgets are the same, except for increase costs for oil and electricity. Salaries are up 2 percent.
There’s no major equipment purchases and nothing big for road projects.
Welch-Day said there was good news about the upcoming project on the Thompson Hill Road. Mexico was one of 32 towns receiving $150,000 grants from Maine DEP’s Municipal Stream Crossing Grant Program, which provides grants that match local funding for the upgrade of culverts at stream crossings on municipal roads.
Besides the box culvert, she said the town is going to replace the small existing bridge there with a 16×40-foot bridge. “There’s only one house on the other side of the one-lane bridge. Wanted a bridge that could support a fire truck and an ambulance, as well as logging trucks.”
Welch-Day said originally it was thought the town would be asking for $110,000 at the annual town meeting in June and another $110,000 at the 2024 annual town meeting to replace the small existing bridge there. The original estimate of the project was $349,000. “We got it down to $276,000, less the grant for $150,000, and the bids came in a little lower, so we’re only going to have to put $40,000 in. It went from a two-year project to getting it done in a year.”
Seeking another three-year term for the Select Board is Chairman TJ Williams. However, Cliff Stewart is not running again. Instead, Kevin Jamison will be seeking that position. Both candidates are running unopposed.
No one took out papers for a three-year Mexico seat on the RSU 10 Board of Directors.
A public information meeting on the proposed 2023-24 municipal budget will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16 in the Calvin Lyons Meeting Room, downstairs at the Mexico Town Office.