BRUNSWICK

Public comment Thursday was mixed regarding the combined $63 million school and municipal budget proposal, with some imploring councilors to cut spending, while others contended children in the community will be negatively impacted by more reductions.

If the budgets pass as they are drafted now, it will equate to a nearly 5 percent tax increase. Town Manager John Eldridge said the goal is to reduce the tax impact to 3 percent. The breakdown of that reduction will be $500,000 in additional cuts from the school budget, and $300,000 in cuts from the town budget.

The municipal budget is $23.5 million, about $1.1 million more than last year’s approved budget. The amount to be raised by taxes is $15.9 million, after calculating the $7.5 million in revenue generated from the general fund balance, excise taxes and other sources which offset the tax impact. The tax rate impact to residents is about 1.7 percent.

The town will take $100,000 from its surplus balance, $124,000 from various cuts, and an increase of revenue of about $76,000 will comprise the reduction of the municipal budget.

Of the school district’s $38 million budget, $24 million would be paid by local residents.

The school board has already reduced the budget by about $850,000 in what was called tier one cuts, and will eye additional areas for trimming to make up the half-million in reductions requested by the council.

Last year, the Legislature passed a law that allows a provision to be added to the budget that stipulates if additional subsidy is kicked back to the district from the state following budget adoption in mid-June, the additional $500,000 in cuts will be restored to the budget. Any remaining money will be used to mitigate the tax impact, said School Board member Ben Tucker. This provision would allow the restoration without going through the budget process again.

If the 3 percent mark is reached, that will amount to an average tax bill of $3,300, and of that, an increase of $101 will be the result of this year’s proposed budgets.

Standing to address the council, resident Tyrell Hunter said as a young parent, she vowed to never be a person who got older and spoke out against school budgets. However, she said that since moving to Brunswick in 2009, her property taxes have increased 36 percent.

“We won’t be able to live in Brunswick as we near retirement,” she said, adding she and her husband live in a modest ranch-style home and pay $5,100 in taxes.

Mary Donnelly spoke in favor of adopting the school budget as written, saying public education served her five children and 10 grandchildren.

Lobbying effort needed

“I support public education and we are blaming the wrong people,” Donnelly said, pointing out that reductions in state and federal money have hurt districts. “It behooves us all to go to our representatives and start talking about this. We need more help.”

Others echoed Donnelly’s thoughts of encouraging residents to lobby Augusta and Washington.

Resident and parent Nathan Hintze spoke out against the arguments people have made about not wanting to pay for education costs when they do not, or no longer have, children in the district.

“That’s a crazy argument — we are a town, we all have to pay our dues,” he said.

The town council will meet again Monday, at 7 p.m., at the town hall, and the school board will meet again Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., at the town hall. Budget adoption is slated for May 25.

jlaaka@timesrecord.com

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