DIXFIELD – Selectmen at Tuesday night’s meeting shaved $8,270 off the proposed Public Works budget of $503,561.

Despite the last-minute tweaks, the $1.9 million budget is up $26,487 over last year’s budget of $1,902,208.

On Tuesday night, selectmen were only concerned with making changes or corrections to the Public Works budget rather than additional departments.

Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky said that under the culvert account, gravel priced at $16.50 per yard for 90 yards was incorrectly summed at $148.50 when it should be $1,485. That changed the proposed budget line item to $9,530.

Additionally, Skibitsky increased the clothing allowance account to $2,700, because he said it was underbudgeted at $2,074.

He then pared $10,000 from $50,000 initially budgeted to buy salt for winter roads, basing that on this winter’s use of 480 tons.

“Knowing that we used 480 tons this winter and have 150 tons left, it’s my estimate that we only buy 500 tons,” instead of the allotted 800 tons, Skibitsky said.

He then said that the Public Works budget proposes to hire an additional worker, which will save $13,000 in grounds work, by having the town crew mow lawns at the parks and cemeteries rather than contract it out.

“I hope the highway crew does as good a job of mowing our cemeteries as was done in the past,” Chairman Bettina Martin said.

Skibitsky additionally expanded Public Works Administrative Assistant Darlene Brann’s hours from 12 to 18 a week so she could also fill the role of a safety coordinator at a cost of $5,666. That means she will oversee safety training needed to perform jobs.

“The budget is based on having five men and 8 hours more a week for Darlene and, it allows our mechanic to stay in the garage and do the things he needs to do to repair our equipment,” Skibitsky said.

Selectmen then cut $13,000 under contracted mowing from the grounds budget after Skibitsky told them if they left it in, the budget would go over the property tax levy limit.

“If Maine cuts our revenue sharing more than anyone anticipates, then we will have to revise our thinking,” Skibitsky said.