York residents will vote on 73 articles, including the town and school budgets, and five local races Saturday when they cast their ballots in the referendum election.

Big spending items include several proposed town infrastructure improvements, climate efficiency funding and school upgrades, according to the York voter guide.

The proposed operating budget for the York School Department reflects a 1.8% increase, bringing the total to almost $49 million. 

York’s proposed municipal operating budget total is around $34 million. That would be a 7.8% increase, with roughly 70% being of the difference raised from property tax revenues. 

Town Manager Peter Joseph wrote in a letter to voters that the tax impact — school and municipal — would be a 3.7% increase.

Here’s a look at what to expect on the ballot.

Voters to consider school upgrades

York schools are proposing a regular instruction budget of $19 million, with a separate special education budget of nearly $10 million.

The ballot also reflects a proposed 8% decrease in the “Other Instruction” category, which funds cultural and extracurricular programs like performing arts and athletic activities. If York residents vote no on that question, the district will adopt last year’s higher budget.

The proposed decrease primarily reflects a change in extracurricular coaching staff, Superintendent Timothy Doak said. 

“Some (staff) have left, and it just kind of came out less for that cost center,” Doak said. Some coaching positions have also been filled by new employees who have less seniority.

The department is also asking voters to approve $2.1 million for transportation and buses. The district has an in-house fleet of vans but not its own buses.

Officials decided to add a transportation coordinator and invest in three vehicles in light of recent tragedies involving school buses across the state, Doak said. Two Maine students were killed in bus crashes within the space of a few weeks late last year.

The department’s capital budget, which targets long-term investments, would be used mostly for improvements in schools. The softball fields at Village Elementary and windows at some locations will receive upgrades if approved by voters. 

The biggest school capital budget item is a new $3 million HVAC system for York Middle School, which would improve climate efficiency, according to the voter guide. 

“The school is over 120 years old, and it’s never had a cooling system in it,” Doak said. “With the warmer springs and warmer falls, it’s been very, very hot to work in and for students to learn in.”

The department reduced staffing by cutting several full-time positions to account for rising costs “without compromising the classroom experience.” Doak said only two positions were truly cut, while several others were open positions that the district is choosing not to fill.

Municipal debt increase, infrastructure upgrades and public works funding

The biggest drivers in the municipal operating budget are personnel costs, debt service and waste collection services, according to the voter guide.

Town employees will receive a 7.6% increase in their salaries if approved by voters, along with a 7.1% health insurance increase. The personnel budget makes up 56% of the town’s total operating budget.

York’s debt service payments increased by 16%, mostly due to bond payments for infrastructure improvements and other past investments. The high increase was expected this year due to increased spending on infrastructure projects, road reconstruction and vehicle purchases to “maintain the town’s assets in a more proactive fashion,” according to the town manager’s letter.

Other big spending items include $8.2 million for highway maintenance, stormwater management, tree planting and care, and other public works operations. Additional funding for the York Public Library is also up for voter approval.

Fourteen questions on the ballot pertain to municipal capital budget items. If approved by voters, most will be funded through bonds and the town’s $550,000 unassigned fund balance.

Joseph said in the letter that the proposed projects are largely to maintain or replace existing infrastructure and equipment.

Voters will also decide on $2.5 million in funding for the replacement of the seawall and sidewalk on Long Beach Avenue. York’s Cliff Walk — which has been closed since January 2024 due to severe storm damage — is up for $180,000 in funding.

Capital budget funding for the Public Works Department would cover the replacement of a bucket loader from 1988, a dump truck from 2014, and other outdated or damaged vehicles, which are all individual ballot questions.

A contested budget committee race and write-in school committee candidates

Voters will decide on five municipal races, including the budget committee and school committee, which are both contested. 

Budget committee candidate Thomas Hedger is challenging incumbents Courtney Munoz and Amanda Sedgewick, who are both seeking their second term.

“Our averages are running about 5% to 7% increases every year, and I’m not sure that everyone’s incomes are actually keeping up with that.” Hedger said at an April 10 candidates night meeting. 

Munoz, the current budget committee vice chair, and Sedgewick said at the meeting that York should be transparent about where money is going and focus on long-term spending.

There is one open seat on the School Committee, which had no candidates on the March 17 candidacy filing date. Two write-in candidates, Michael Modern and Sean Bradburn, have since launched their campaigns.

Modern, a former school counselor, emphasized the importance of cooperation across town departments.

Bradburn, a youth wrestling coach, said he is concerned about the proposed school budget. There are too many wants, and some needs have been pushed aside, he said at the meeting.

Elizabeth Bardwell is running unopposed for town moderator, Barry Davis for sewer trustee and Russell Peterson for water trustee. Robert Palmer and Marla Johnson are running unopposed for reelection to the select board.

York is one of a few towns in the state to vote on municipal seats and budgets before the June 9 primary vote, a structure that has been in place since a Home Rule Charter was enacted in 1991, Joseph said.

“In May, we’re a little bit frontloaded,” Joseph said.