Topsham residents will vote on a $14.84 million municipal budget at a May 13 town meeting, resulting in a roughly 5% increase in the town tax..

Residents will also weigh in on several warrant articles, including changes to the tax increment financing district on Union Park Road.

The municipal budget, plus the Sagadahoc County assessment and the School Administrative District 75 budget, will ultimately reveal the final amount to be raised by taxes for Topsham residents. If all three budgets are adopted as drafted, Topsham residents can expect a roughly 9.3% tax increase, Town Manager Mark Waltz said Thursday.

The school board approved a $61.2 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year earlier this month, requiring the towns of Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham to raise roughly $3 million more from taxes than in previous years.

The budget that will appear on the town meeting warrant represents a slight increase form the town manager’s proposed budget, which totaled about $14.67 million. Waltz said a chunk of that difference came from the select board’s recommendation to invest more in paving this year to fix potholes.

Town expenditures this year are up about 4% from the previous year. Big cost drivers included wages and benefits for town employees, especially health insurance, Waltz said in February.

Besides the town’s portion of the budget, residents will vote on a few other articles at the upcoming town meeting.

These include amending the TIF district on Union Park Road, meant to help fund a four-story apartment building intended for workers.This measure would reduce the TIF district created in a November ballot measure to just the area of the planned building. The technical change was required by Maine Housing, Waltz said.

Another article has to do with a proposed location for the Topsham Community Center, near the Topsham Fairgrounds and the Route 196 bypass. This preemptive article would allow the select board to enter into an agreement with the fairgrounds, allowing for town access to the land. In return, the Topsham Fairgrounds would have access to free EMS services and any utilities the town installs.

However, Waltz said, this article does nothing if residents don’t ultimately approve a community center in this spot, a measure which has not yet come before voters.

Two more articles allow the town to spend money raised from impact fees — funds the town has already raised — to build a sidewalk at the western end of Park Drive and to complete an updated natural areas plan.

The full town meeting warrant is available on the town’s website. The meeting is at 7 p.m. May 13 at the Mt. Ararat High School Forum.

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