For budget details, see related sites and documents:

• Municipal website budget section
• School and Community Services budget website
• Budget summary and tax impact
• Special funds budgets spreadsheets and narrative (pdf)
• Meeting materials for May 13, 2010 Finance Committee workshop
• Materials for May 25, 2010 budget adoption meeting
• View public hearing video (Adobe Flash 10 required)

05/24/10

Town Council readies to vote on fiscal 2011 budget proposal

The Town Council will vote May 25, 2010 on a proposed municipal budget for fiscal 2011.

The overall general fund budget proposal, which includes municipal, school, county and Community Services, amounts to $31.4 million, up 2 percent over this year, and poses an overall tax-rate increase of 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, up 1.8 percent over this year's rate of $17.54. (Click here for budget summary)

Two residents spoke at a public hearing May 24, both saying they were concerned over proposed school spending for fiscal 2011.

Olde Colony Lane resident Mary Ann Lynch, and Brentwood Road resident RuthAnne Haley, both told councilors they disagreed with the amount of funding going for school staff at a time when student enrollment and the economy is in decline.

"We should put our time and our money into the classroom," Haley said. "The teachers are wonderful, but our money is going to the union benefits," she said.

Haley and Lynch both said they appreciated the caliber of teachers, but Lynch said the student-to-staff ratio in the last four years has fallen to a level that "rivals area private schools".

"For most of us living in the real world, the last few years has brought unpaid furloughs, pay freezes, even pay cuts, and that's if you're one of the lucky ones," Lynch told members of the council. "I'm not going to ask you to change your position on the budget, but I am going to ask the public to look carefully at the budget if it remains unchanged after tomorrow night," she said.

At a special meeting May 13, councilors voted 5-2 to set the four general fund budgets, and several special fund budgets, to public hearing.

The school budget adopted by the council May 25 will go to a validation vote on June 8. Absentee ballots will be available for the validation on May 26. (Click here for more information on absentee voting.)

Following the May 24 hearing, Town Council Chair Anne Swift-Kayatta thanked residents who sent e-mails and letters and made phone calls sharing their opinions on the proposed spending plans. "The council will think about input they have received from the public, both tonight and previously," Swift-Kayatta said.

The council is also scheduled to vote on several special-fund budgets including rescue, sewer, the Spurwink Church and Riverside Cemetery, Fort Williams Park, Portland Head Light, Thomas Jordan Trust and the new infrastructure improvement fund.

The budget adoption meeting is scheduled for live broadcast over CETV Channel 3, with replays several times until the June 8 school budget validation. (Click here for program schedule)

Previous story:

• Fiscal 2011 general, special fund budgets set to May 24, 2010 public hearing (05/14/10)