WELLS — Last month, even before the new year began, Town Manager Jonathan Carter presented selectmen with a proposal for the upcoming fiscal year budget to begin July 1, which will run through June 30, 2015.
On Dec. 17, at the board of selectmen’s last meeting of 2013, Carter presented a budget of $17.5 million, which would increase the tax rate by 7 cents per $1,000 of property valuation.
He noted that there will be a long process of meetings, beginning with the budget committee’s first meeting on Wednesday, before the selectmen approve a final budget number, most likely sometime in April. Town voters will get the final say when they vote on the budget June 10.
The budget he proposed, said Carter, included the total for operations and capital improvements only.
It does not include the amount the town must pay toward county expenses or the town’s share of the budget for the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District, which will be the lion’s share of the overall amount taxpayers must shell out. In the current fiscal year, the overall tax rate is $9.12 per $1,000 of property value, with $2.95 for town-only expenses ”“ the rest going to the county and the school district.
In the current budget, Carter noted that operating expenses are up, largely due to a spike in worker’s compensation. In addition, he said, the capital improvement portion of the budget is higher than last year in an attempt to make some improvements to town property. One such item is $70,000, which can be used to either move or stabilize at its current condition a historic one-room schoolhouse owned by the town.
According to Carter, the proposed budget also includes funds to hire several new positions in the highway department and two part-time beach workers. Also, he said, there are funds to hire an architect for design work on three public safety facilities.
Under the proposed budget, said Carter, a lower amount from the town’s surplus and reserve fund will be used than in the current year’s budget. He proposes $1.8 million this year versus $2.2 million last year in surplus, and $2.3 million this year versus $2.9 million last year from the reserve fund.
Carter also said that the current budget is $181,000 less than the amount the state allows to be raised via property taxes.
Through the proposed budget, he said, the town will be able to “do a number of good things for the community.”
In addition, said Carter, the amount of revenue to the town from items like excise taxes that can be used along with property taxes to pay for town expenses, is “not that bad” ”“ a sign that “the economy is doing better,” he said.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.