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08/11/08
School budget increase of 5.3
percent set for public hearing Aug. 18
The Town Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed 5.3 percent increase
in school spending for 2008-09 on Monday, Aug. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town
Hall chamber.
A school budget validation referendum will be held Tuesday, Sept. 2, from
7 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cape Elizabeth High School.
Applications for absentee ballots are now available, and may be obtained
on this Web site, or by contacting
Town Clerk Ruth Noble,
767-7473.
Citizens wishing to vote absentee may do so at Town Hall beginning the morning
of Aug. 19, 2008 and continuing through 4 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2008. The Town
Hall is closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend.
At a special meeting Aug. 1, the School Board recommended to the Town Council
a 2008-09 budget of $19.8 million, an increase of 5.3 percent over last year's.
The figure is half-way between a 4.6 percent increase, which failed at the
polls June 10; and 6 percent, which failed at the polls July 22. This is
the first year Cape Elizabeth has held budget validation elections under
the state's new school consolidation law.
As in the past two elections, voters will have the opportunity to say whether
they believe the proposed budget is too high or too low. New to the September
ballot, however, will be a third choice: "Acceptable". The third choice was
added at the suggestion of Councilor David Backer.
If the school budget is approved, the overall tax rate increase would be
5.98 percent, due to changes in the non-school budget which has already received
final adoption.
The Town Council set a date of Sept. 3 for the town's tax commitment, with
tax due dates of Oct. 2, 2008, and April 2, 2009, as tax due dates.
The Sept. 2 validation ballot will read:
Do you favor approving the Town of Cape Elizabeth school budget for the upcoming
school year that was adopted at the latest school budget meeting of the town
council?
YES ___
NO ___
Advisory Question
I find the school budget adopted at the August 18, 2008 Town Council's school
budget meeting to be:
TOO HIGH _____
ACCEPTABLE ________
TOO LOW _____
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