RAYMOND — Tuesday night’s annual town meeting in Raymond was a fairly brief and cordial affair, with minimal discussion on the 49 warrant articles approved by voters. 

The roughly 50 residents and town officials present at the July 5 meeting approved the proposed $4.3 million budget for the coming fiscal year. While municipal spending is down more than 2 percent from the current year, the town still expects a slight overall tax increase when county and RSU 14 school taxes are factored in. 

Raymond Finance Director Cathy Ricker said the town was predicting a 0.11 percent overall tax decrease before a miscalculation by the school district was discovered, but is now expecting the tax rate to increase slightly by 0.71 percent.

Spending items approved by Raymond voters Tuesday night included more than $250,000 from the town’s Pipeline/RT 302 Tax Increment Financing District for various development projects and $470,000 for the purchase of new plow trucks as Raymond looks to transition away from its use of Naples-based contractor P & K Sand and Gravel to plow some of its public roads. 

Town Manager Don Willard said he hopes the transition will “really make a difference in our winter operations.” 

Voters also signed off on several town ordinance changes, including amendments to the barking dogs ordinance, cemetery ordinance and massage establishment ordinance. Multiple Jones Beach ordinances were consolidated into one Raymond Beach ordinance, and the town’s ordinance prohibiting the use of racing boats was repealed. 

Willard said the racing boat ordinance was both outside the town’s jurisdiction and problematic to enforce because Raymond doesn’t have its own police department. 

Tuesday night’s meeting was moderated by Selectboard Member Joe Bruno, who is not running for re-election after 29 years in various elected roles. 

Selectboard Chairwoman Teresa Sadak, who noted that Bruno has also served on the School Board and served in the state Legislature, and presented him with a community service award. 

“He has done everything,” she added.  

Bruno said that he was “very humbled” after receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. 

Matt Junker can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or mjunker@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MattJunker.

Raymond voters signed off on all warrant articles and a $4.3 million municipal budget for the coming fiscal year during the June 5 annual town meeting. 

Bruno