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TOPSHAM

No one turned out to speak at the School Administrative District 75’s final budget hearing on its proposed $36.2 million budget for 2014-15.

The proposed budget calls for a $1.5 million in expenditures for next school year, a 4.4 percent hike. Cited as a big part of the increase was the district’s decision not to use its fund balance to offset the local share; for example, the district used $928,000 from its fund balance for the 2013-14 budget. Superintendent Brad Smith said at public forums that the district has taken as much as $1.2 million from the fund balance in recent years, which the district can’t continue.

That means the local share of funding the budget will see a significant increase, as proposed in the budget.

Here is a breakdown of the local share costs — which will collectively increase by $1.8 million, or 9 percent, in the 2014-15 proposal — for the towns in SAD 75:

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• Bowdoin — it’s local share would increase from $2,335, 811 to $2,599,282, a jump of $263,471 or 11.27 percent. Bowdoin’s current tax rate of $13 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by $1.16, to $14.16, an increase of 8.92 percent. That means the cost to a property owner with a home assessed at $180,000 — the “typical” value for a property in Bowdoin — would be $2,548.80, an increase of $208.80 from the 2013-14 budget.

• Bowdoinham — it’s local share would increase from $2,463,802 to $2,658,358, a jump of $194,556 or 7.89 percent. Bowdoinham’s current tax rate of $13 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 84 cents, to $13.84, an increase of 6.46 percent. That means the cost to a property owner with a home assessed at $180,000 — the “typical” value for a property in Bowdoinham — would be $2,491.20, an increase of $151.20 from the 2013-14 budget.

• Harpswell — it’s local share would increase from $6,882,946 to $7,578,994, a jump of $696,048 or 10.11 percent. Harpswell’s current tax rate of $5.78 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 39 cents, to $6.17, an increase of 6.74 percent. That means the cost to a property owner with a home assessed at $420,200 — the “typical” value for a property in Harpswell — would be $2,592.63, an increase of 163.88 from the 2013-14 budget.

• Topsham — it’s local share would increase from $7,911,387 to $8,593,788, a jump of $682,401 or 8.62 percent. Topsham’s current tax rate of $16.65 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 74 cents, to $17.39, an increase of 4.44 percent. That means the cost to a property owner with a home assessed at $188,850 — the “typical” value for a property in Topsham — would be $3,284.10.

The budget will now go before voters at a districtwide budget meeting on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Orion Performing Arts Center at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham. The school board Thursday approved closed warrant articles at the May 22 meeting, meaning voters can amend the proposed article amounts to lower numbers, but can’t increase the amounts.

The budget resulting from the district wide budget meeting will be voted on at the polls in each of the four towns on June 10 in a budget validation referendum.



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