FREEPORT
Municipal taxes in Freeport are poised to increase in the proposed 2016 budget, but only slightly.
The amount to be raised by taxes in the proposed budget is increasing $59,000 — or 1.18 percent — to $5.04 million, compared to the current year’s total of $4.99 million, according to information provided to the town council Tuesday by Town Manager Peter Joseph and Finance Director Jessica Maloy.
Freeport taxpayers might not want to get too comfortable, however. An early projection of the tax rate reveals a 8.8 percent jump when county taxes and the school budget are taken into consideration.
The county has already charged the town $941,000, according to Joseph, a number that Freeport has no control over.
The figure also includes a nearly $16.8 million share of Regional School Unit 5’s preliminary budget. That dwarfs the $5 million municipal por- tion of the overall budget.
However, RSU 5’s work on its budget is far from over. RSU 5 budget increase projections have varied from between 3.37 percent to 9.15 percent.
“The RSU 5 discussion is still quite involved,” said Joseph.
Town Council Chairwoman Melanie Sachs said she has seen materials from the RSU indicating a school budget increase of a little more than 7 percent.
RSU 5 will conduct a special meeting tonight on its proposed budget, starting at 6 p.m. at Freeport High School.
Freeport’s municipal portion of the budget is seeing a $388,000 increase in spending, owing mostly to $165,000 in insurance cost increases.
Employee salary increases will see an overall increase of 1.69 percent, or $64,000.
The town is also committed to $20,000 in spending as part of a three-year obligation for a pilot program to bringing Portland’s Metro bus service to town.
Spending increases will be offset by a $329,000 increase in non-property tax revenue, including updated numbers for excise taxes to the tune of $100,000.
Freeport, like other municipalities, has been feeling the affects of decreased state revenue sharing. According to a memo from Joseph and Maloy, Freeport in its fiscal year 2008 received $700,000 from the state. In 2016, Freeport is projected to receive $325,000.
Public sessions on the municipal budget will take place May 13 and 14. June 17 is the target date for the budget adoption.
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
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