FARMINGTON – Selectmen and town department heads Tuesday reviewed a proposed 2009 budget of $4.4 million, which is $40,000 more than last year.

Town Manager Richard Davis told the board that loss of revenues could be the factor that once again puts the budget over LD1 limits, caps set in the 2005 state law designed to reduce property taxes.

“Without taking drastic cuts, that would mean doing things differently than today,” he said. “The department heads did an excellent job in holding costs down,” adding the Fire Department, parks and recreation and recycling budget requests were less than last year.

All department budgets include a 4.8 percent cost-of-living pay raise for all employees.

Selectmen gave tentative approval of the budgets – totaling $4,398,598 – but reserved the right to review them after a recent compensation study suggested raising salaries for three positions that are considered too low. Selectmen wanted to hold the wage adjustments discussion for another meeting after a $4 increase per hour was requested for the assessor’s assistant.

“It’s not the person but the position,” assessor Mark Caldwell told the board. “We want to bring it up to standards as it’s below what it should be paid,” he said.

The Police Department topped the $1 million mark for 2009 operating expenses, requesting $1,005,987, which is $29,478 more than last year. Wage increases, overtime pay, health insurance and other benefits account for most of the increase.

After 11 years, the animal control officer is up for an increase in his monthly stipend from $625 to $655, Police Chief Richard Caton told the board.

Motor fuel and salt/sand costs helped push the Public Works budget up by $76,438 to $1,007,358. Director Denis Castonguay told the board he continues to battle the problem of “vintage equipment.” He said he expects the department to have to look at buying or leasing three pieces of equipment, including a backhoe, in the next three years.

“We have good maintenance and good operators but we plowed 58 storms in last year’s budget,” he said explaining the need for new plows for the trucks.

In past years, the town has provided $25,000 to $30,000 for maintenance of town cemeteries with the Farmington Cemetery Association stockholders supplying the rest of the money needed, Davis told the board. This year’s budget includes $59,500 because the association investments can’t be counted on.

On the plus side, the Fire Department’s requested budget came in at $2,700 less than last year, at $285,156.

A pump rebuilt on Engine 2 last year brought vehicle maintenance for the department down from $28,000 to $9,000 this year, Fire Chief Terry Bell said.

The Parks and Recreation Department budget is slightly below last year’s, and recycling’s budget dropped from $75,000 to $66,739 this year.