WOODSTOCK – Town Manager Vern Maxfield told selectmen Tuesday that he hopes to hold the line on the coming year’s town budget because there’s no need to purchase new equipment.

Maxfield fears, however, that property owners will be hit hard by education costs.

“I don’t have any specific figures as yet, but SAD 44 is going to be hitting us big time. The reason for that is two-fold. First, the budget cuts at the state level are going to hit education funding hard. Second, we are faced with the governor’s school consolidation plan for the district,” he said.

“The plan, as it is seen for SAD 44 or the Telstar Regional School District at this time, is for the district to partner with the town of Rangeley. That is a school system more than two hours north of the greater Bethel area. It seems to me and many others that partnering with a school system that far away is going to be difficult to administer. And I can’t see how that is going to be effective for students in either system. But we will be voting on the plan on the 26th of this month,” he said.