BRUNSWICK — The town manager is recommending a $350,000 state revenue sharing surplus be used to reduce the tax rate, pave roads and increase the town’s contingency fund.
At Monday’s Town Council meeting, where Maine Department of Transportation officials introduced a potential redesign of the Maine Street/Route 1 overpass, councilors also voted to share animal control services with Freeport.
The town had expected to receive $1.45 million from state revenue sharing. The surplus is the result of the state’s $8 billion biennial budget.
Town Manager John Eldridge’s recommendation is to use $200,000 to reduce the property tax rate from $19.86 per $1,000 of valuation to $19.77. If approved, the annual tax bill for a home valued at $200,000 would drop from $3,972 to $3,954 a year. The tax increase for fiscal year 2020 would decline from 4.97% to 4.47%.
Eldridge also recommends putting $100,000 toward road paving and the remaining $50,000 to go into a contingency reserve fund.
No decision was made at the July 15 meeting, where councilors and residents offered their own suggestions about how to divide the funds.
Councilor Dan Ankeles suggested giving some of the surplus to Curtis Memorial Library for programming. Several residents suggested reserving more money to assist asylum-seekers moving into Brunswick.
The council is expected to vote on the funding Aug. 5, after Eldridge takes the comments under consideration.
MDOT officials said they have been working to come up with an alternative to the Maine Street and Route 1 overpass, often referred to as the “Pool Table.” The agency has hired T.Y.Lin, an engineering firm in Falmouth, to assess the condition of the overpass and create ways to make the area safer and more accessible to drivers.
Six alternatives were presented at the meeting, including partial updates and lane expansions, creating a roundabout. Cost estimates ranged from $2.5 million to $11.1 million.
Town Engineer Ryan Barnes said a public hearing on the project will likely be held in early September.
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