RANGELEY — The Board of Selectmen on Monday, April 7, finalized the town meeting warrant and proposed fiscal year 2026 $12 million budget. The budget reflects an increase of approximately $800,000 over the current budget.

A public hearing on the proposed budget was held on March 17. An informational public hearing covering the finalized warrant will be held Monday, May 5, at 5 p.m.

The annual town meeting will take place 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10 at the Town Office. Town meetings have been held by referendum, or secret ballot at the polls, since 2017.

Included in the proposed budget are projections for the town’s portion of the RSU #78 and Franklin County budgets. The county tax is estimated to increase by 10 percent to $1,342,088. Based on budget information from the district, the town’s estimated education payment is $3,916,951. Neither the county or school budgets have been finalized.

Despite the increase, the mil rate could remain flat, certified public accountant consultant Marc Roy said.

Roy walked the board through a projection tool to determine what the mil rate could be.

“Your total assessments minus your total deductions, which are non-property tax revenues, determines what your property tax assessment will be,” he explained. “But what your property tax assessment will be is dependent on what your valuation is and what mil rate you select.”

For estimate purposes, Roy projected a 2 percent increase in overall valuation of property. Roy said Town Manager Joe Roach suggested keeping the rate at 12.23 mil.

Given the projected valuation increase, it would be feasible to keep the mil rate flat if the town budgeted use of $1.375 million in unassigned funds from the general fund balance, Roy explained.

He estimated at the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, the unassigned fund balance will be between $5.2 million and $5.7 million. The town should carry no more than 25 percent of the annual budget, or $3 million, in the general unassigned fund balance, he said.

“You have more than enough to sustain a $1.375 budgeted used of fund balance,” Roy said.

It is recommended to plan a progressive reduction of the funds over time, rather than bringing the balance down all at once, he explained.

“Policy says the selectboard has to go into a three year plan to reduce the fund balance over time. The reason you want to do it over time is because, if you bring your fund balance down all at once, you are likely to end up having a fiscal cliff. That means you don’t raise enough this year, then all off a sudden, next year your taxpayers have to have a 20, 25 percent tax increase because, basically, you crashed your local economy.”

Resident Cyndy Egan asked, “With the present scenario, with county tax potentially $1.3 million, our mil rate stays the same? Is that the projection?”

Ultimately, the mil rate would be dependent on a couple of factors, Roy said.

“The first factor is what the valuation ends up at. Two percent could be high or it could be low, it is an estimate. The next factor is how much you are budgeting for expenditures and how much you are estimating for revenue other than property taxes. Part of that is how much you want to use from fund balance. It is perfectly feasible for the county tax to have an increase of ten percent but for the taxpayers to have no change in their mil rate,” he explained.

Roy included $602,400 in TIF capture in the scenario.

TIF Projects includes Oquossoc Park Phase II design, Main Street Pedestrian/Sidewalk Improvements design and construction, and the town’s share of the Scenic Byways Gateway Construction.

Roach said the local share of the gateway parking hubs is $88,200.

“That is our match for the grant,” he said. “As we go through the design, we are realizing there will need to be some town funds in excess of that. Without any bid alternates, that number is $183,000. These contingencies, given the economic situation right now with tariffs, they are fairly high contingencies.”

Following Roy’s presentation, the board voted to include the recommended $1.375  million from the unassigned fund balance in the warrant’s revenue budget article. Adjustments were made to the wording of some donation articles and two housekeeping articles were removed from the warrant.

A draft of an unbinding straw poll was reviewed in response to a petition seeking to change the town meeting format from secret ballot to open meeting. The citizen’s petition was presented to the board in February and rejected in March.

The draft poll, as presented Monday night, asks if voters are in favor of secret ballot town meetings or switching to a bifurcated, or two-part, town meeting.

A secret ballot town meeting allows for absentee voting to be available 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.

A two-part meeting would allow for secret ballot election of town officials on one day and an open meeting conducted in person for other business on a different day. Articles would be debated by attendees and voted on by either a show of hand or by written ballot from the floor. There would be no absentee voting for open meeting articles.

The board delayed action on the straw poll pending legal review.

In addition to budgetary and business articles, there are several town officers that will be elected in June. There are two Board of Selectmen, one Parks Commission, one RSU #78 School Director, two Sewer Commission and two Budget Committee terms up for election. All positions are 3-year terms. Completed nomination papers are due to the Town Clerk Friday, April 11.

In other matters, Roach noted the Transfer Station will be closed to the public April 22 and 23 for maintenance and cleaning. The 9th annual Trash Pick Up Day will take place Saturday, May 3.

Due to the Monday, April 21, Patriots’ Day holiday, the Board of Selectmen will meet next on Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. in the Town Office conference room.