FREEPORT — Freeport officials reviewed a budget proposal Tuesday that would raise the property tax rate by 2 percent.
The total proposed budget, at $8,777,896, exceeds the current fiscal year’s operating budget of $8,465,864 by 3.7 percent.
That increase, based on still-uncertain county and Regional School Unit 5 budget projections, would spur a jump in Freeport’s property tax rate from $15.20 to $15.50 per $1,000 of valuation.
The projected RSU 5 budget reflects a tax increase of 1.6 percent and the projected county budget reflects a decrease of 1.7 percent.
The proposal seeks to add to town staff in certain departments and accounts for expected increases in the school budget, maintenance for an Amtrak train platform, and general assistance spending in light of decreased aid from the state.
The proposed budget does not project any increase in health care costs for the town’s 50-plus employees during the next year.
In a letter to the Town Council, Town Manager Dale Olmstead and Finance Director Abbe Yacoben wrote that a 2 percent increase is the maximum they would recommend, including costs from the county and RSU 5 budgets.
For the staff additions proposed in this year’s budget, that letter said department heads were asked to find “creative methods of offsetting revenues or savings in their budgets.”
The additions include one police officer, one per-diem responder for the fire department, one part-time post at the library and one half-time assistant to work with a new town manager who will succeed Olmstead after his 30- year tenure ends with retirement later this year.
To fund additions to the fire and police departments, Olmstead and Yacoben wrote that each entity would look, in part, to fee changes to raise additional revenue.
Through changes in the town’s alarm ordinance, the letter indicates, the fire department expects to generate an additional $35,000 in revenue. The police department proposes to increase parking enforcement on weekends to generate $24,000 more in fine revenue.
The increase to the budget from recommended staffing increases totals $60,000.
The proposed spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 also recommends eliminating certain positions in the town’s public works department, including that of the foreman and the director, with more duties assigned to the town engineer.
Other positions would be added, including that of a crew leader and another equipment operator.
Tuesday’s presentation was the first in a series of hearings and workshops on the town’s proposed operating budget. Public sessions with department administrators are scheduled for 6 p.m. May 8 and 7:30 a.m. May 9. A public hearing is scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m. A budget workshop on May 16 is slated to start at 5:30 p.m.
The council has tentative plans to adopt a budget on May 17 at 6:30 p.m.
All meetings are scheduled to take place in the town council chambers.
dfishell@timesrecord.com
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