STANDISH – Thanks to an expected jump in non-property tax revenues, the Standish Town Council has approved a $10,360, or .4 percent increase, in municipal spending.

The council approved the municipal budget in a unanimous vote on April 8, Billington said. Voters will have a chance to weigh in on the proposed budget at the annual town meeting on Saturday, June 14.

The proposed $2,666,195 budget would increase the town’s contribution to the property tax rate by 1 cent, from $2.68 to $2.69, according to calculations by Town Manager Gordon Billington. Last year’s overall property tax rate, including school and county, was $12.08 per $1,000 of valuation.

“I think it’s a good, solid budget,” Billington said. “It’s nice to be able to hold the mil rate.”

In comparison to last year’s approved budget, the town has forecast a $32,000 increase in revenues from building permits, a $40,000 increase in vehicle excise taxes, a $37,000 increase in EMS revenues, and a $92,500 increase in revenues from sale of materials and property – namely, through woodlot harvesting on town-owned timber lots. Although the town received $382,546 in municipal revenue sharing in fiscal year 2013, the budget forecasts that the town will receive $284,000 next year.

Billington said the projections are based on the town’s revenue collection statistics, which indicate that non-property tax revenues are ticking northward, which include vehicle excise taxes.

“Revenue is rebounding, which is a nice thing,” Billington said. “That’s why we can hold the mil rate.”

The proposed budget also increases the Town Council’s advertising budget by nearly $5,000, and adds $63,653 to the employee benefits account, a 9.7 percent jump. It also cuts the planning budget by 27.5 percent, or $38,987, and general assistance by 24.9 percent, or $17,936.

Billington said that the planning department budget cut reflected the investment in a Steep Falls design plan last year.

“We’re not doing any of those major planning efforts this year,” he said.

According to Billington, general assistance budgets have declined ever since the town stopped contracting three years ago with the People’s Regional Opportunity Program, which is now called the Opportunity Alliance.

“We’re experiencing much less expenditure in general assistance than we have in prior years. We’ve taken over general assistance in-house. We used to contract it out. We’re finding our general assistance expenditure has dropped as a result.”

The town’s contribution to Cumberland County government is expected to increase by $13,469, which would add another cent to the property tax rate. The School Administrative District 6 budget, which makes up the bulk of the property tax rate, has not yet been released, according to Billington.