The municipal side of Gorham’s proposed budget is $11.8 million, up 1.5 percent from this year’s $11.6 million.

Gorham Town Manager David Cole handed the Town Council his proposed municipal budget in its meeting Tuesday.

“It was a very difficult budget to put together,” Cole said.

Under his spending plan, the net budget to be paid for by property taxes is $5.5 million, a rise of 3.1 percent. He said the estimated tax rate to support the municipal budget would be $4.54 cents per thousand of valuation, up 8 cents.

Cole said Monday the police budget is up 6.2 percent because the department hired an additional patrol officer. He also cited the rise in gas and oil costs, which impacted the budget.

He said Cumberland County is raising dispatch costs to Gorham by $15,418, to $225, 270. But, he said, the figure is still below the $315,879 Gorham budgeted in 2006 before consolidating its dispatch services with the county.

Cole and the council begin review of the budget in workshops at 7 p.m. this Thursday and Tuesday, April 8, in the municipal center, 75 South St.