The Brunswick Town Council is entering its annual budget struggle to balance the financial requirements of our schools and municipal services, with the ability of our citizens to finance those requirements through the property tax. Simultaneously, the State proposes to continue cutting aid to municipalities, thereby shifting the burden of paying for Town services from a broad based progressive State income tax to a regressive property tax. Consequently, for the past several years, we have seen our property taxes increase by about Three Percent each year, although the ability of many of our citizens to pay taxes has been largely stagnant.

We are now facing a school bond issue of about $28 Million, which, if approved by our citizens, will alone increase our property taxes by about Four Percent, starting in four years. If we continue with tax increases at our present rate, our property taxes will have increased from now into that fourth year by about Sixteen Percent. That tax tsunami would impose an intolerable burden on our citizens, many of whom are on fixed or limited income.

Therefore, I propose that we make our best efforts to keep taxes at a near level rate in preparation for the burden which the school bond issue would impose.

The School Board has submitted a proposed budget to the Council that, by itself, would increase our taxes by about Three Percent. In addition, the Town’s proposed budget for municipal services, by itself, would increase our taxes by perhaps One-and-a-half Percent, for a total increase of over Four Percent. The Council can control the individual items in the Town side of the budget, and we will do so. However, the Council can only appropriate a lump sum to our schools. We have absolutely no say as to how the School Board allocates the lump sum which the Town will appropriate.

We know that at present, the State proposes to reduce its aid to our schools by about One Million dollars, and the School Board budget assumes that this cut will remain in effect by the time the State makes its final budget. However, this cut is still under negotiation in Augusta, and the final State budget could allow for all or part of that proposed cut to be removed. To that extent, more funds would be coming to our schools than is now contemplated by the School Board budget.

I propose that we cut the School Board budget by One Million dollars, thereby reducing their increase to our property tax from about Three Percent to Half a Percent. If any more State aid should come in, that added money will go to the School Board. I would like to see the Town portion of the budget reduced so that the total tax increase for the coming fiscal year would be less than Two Percent.

If we approach our budgets, now and in future, in this way, perhaps we can avert the inevitability of the property tax tsunami.

Dan Harris represents District 5 on the Brunswick Town Council.