Westbrook City Council voted 6-0 to approve the $106.5 million budget — $61.7 million of which will be raised in taxes — on Monday.

The tax rate is estimated to increase by $1.15 for a total of $16.25 per $1,000 assessed property valuation — about 7.61% higher than the current rate.

Keeping services at the current level represents most of the budget increase and is due to the rising cost of goods and labor, Mayor David Morse said at previous council meetings.

The municipal budget includes a new operations supervisor position in the public services department and a new firefighter position.

Loss of federal funding also added costs to the municipal budget, including Cumberland County taxes which increased by more than 12%.

On the school side, a preschool expansion, rising healthcare costs and a reduction of Title 1 funds were the major budget drivers.

A few residents spoke at the council meeting to share their concerns with the school budget, saying taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth.

Councilors supported the budget, and they noted that the schools and the city are facing challenges, such as increasing student populations and a high population of students with special education needs.

Morse said Westbrook has the fourth lowest per-pupil spending out of all school districts in Cumberland County.

Councilor Gary Rairdon was absent at the May 4 meeting to vote on the budget, but during the first reading of the budgets at a meeting April 27, he spoke critically of the tax increases.

“This is staggering,” he said. “I will not be approving either budgets.”

When Superintendent Peter Lancia first presented a draft of the school budget to the finance committee in March, the budget was $58.6 million. Since then, it has been reduced to $57.2 million from an almost 10% increase to a 7.5% increase.

The council approved the full municipal and school budget, but the school budget will be put to referendum on June 9 to be approved by residents.

Voters approved the last year’s $54 million school budget, but in 2024, they first rejected a $51.7 million budget before approving a $51 million budget.