AUBURN – Pledging to continue working to trim the city’s budget for the rest of the year, councilors voted to accept a 94-cent tax hike Monday.

Mayor Norm Guay vowed to find new ways to keep next year’s budget in check.

“We need to start looking at everything with a critical eye,” Guay said. “The citizens deserve the levels of service they have grown accustomed to. We need to make sure our employees are treated fairly, but nothing is sacred.”

Guay said this year’s budget review process has been especially difficult. Despite trimming nearly $780,000 from the budget City Manager Pat Finnigan first proposed in May, councilors are still increasing property taxes by $75 for a home worth $80,000.

“It has not been a pleasant process,” Guay said. “It’s been a difficult budget and it’s been a challenge to staff. Nobody is pleased with the increase.”

Councilors are scheduled to vote on June 23 to give the budget final approval.

Councilors have pared the tax rate increase down from $1.49 in May. To get there, they’ve had to sign off on nearly $780,000 in budget cuts.

Those included not taking part in a national marketing campaign this year, changes to spring cleanup and ending weekly trash collections to apartments of four or more units, trimming the city’s annual bond issue, foregoing a cost of living raise and changing the city’s health insurance coverage. Councilors also agreed to restructure city staff to save another $200,000.

Only the trash collection changes drew criticism Monday. According to the budget, the city will stop collecting trash to apartments of four or more units for $30,000 savings. Ross Bonney, director of the Lewiston Auburn Landlords Association, said that saving would fall on the back of Auburn’s poorest.

“We know the city’s property taxes are high, but that’s the price we pay for living in a city with good services and good schools,” Bonney said. “It could mean $10-$15 per month in rent for the people in apartments.”

Guay said city staff will work with landlords this summer to make sure trash collection changes cause as few problems as possible. City Manager Finnigan said the city is planning to stop those trash collections in September.

City Councilor Richard Livingston blamed the city’s problem on state and federal tax policies. Federal and state budget cuts mean fewer dollars coming into the cities.

The cities still have to pay for services, however.

“Maine municipalities are at the bottom of the food chain,” Livingston said. “If we don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. Cities have no choice in the matter, and we have no alternatives but to raise property taxes.”

[email protected]