POWNAL – Voters will consider a $1,535,204 municipal budget when they meet at Pownal Elementary School on Monday, June 16, for the annual town meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Municipal elections were held on Tuesday, June 10, at the Town Office. There were no contested races on the ballot.

The budget request is $34,509, or 2.64 percent, more than approved by voters at last year’s town meeting. Tim Giddinge, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said last Thursday he could not estimate the overall impact on taxes, because town officials were still waiting on figures from the assessor’s agent.

“Sometimes, we don’t even get them before town meeting,” Giddinge said.

Administrator Scott Seaver said that Pownal is facing a likely increase of 9.9 percent in school costs if the Regional School Unit 5 budget passes as it stands. Increased Cumberland County taxes would add another 7.2 percent increase for Pownal taxpayers.

But after that, the news gets better. As it did last year, the new Central Maine Power Co. substation on Allen Road will give property owners a big lift.

“They’ve almost doubled the size of the substation,” Giddinge said. “They created a whole new line through town. Last year we saw a large value increase and this year we anticipate another large value increase from CMP, but we don’t know what it is yet.”

The extra money coming in from CMP actually allowed Pownal to decrease the tax rate last year, when voters approved a $1,495,695 budget.

The largest increase on next year’s municipal budget might come in public works, for road paving, Giddinge said. On the other hand, the town continues to save money by sharing a road commissioner with Durham.

The tax rate is $34.75 per $1,000 in assessed property value. An article to do a town-wide property revaluation probably will stimulate much discussion at the town meeting, Giddinge said.

“I think the re-val is going to be the biggest topic of discussion,” Giddinge said. “We’ve been putting aside $20,000 for the past two years. We’ll ask for another $20,000 this year, to start the process.”

Giddinge said that the Planning Board has put forth four zoning-ordinance changes that are minor in nature. The Planning Board is looking for a special town meeting late this summer or early this fall to decide on those, he said.

George W. Anderson Jr. was the only candidate on the June 10 ballot for the Board of Selectmen. Anderson will succeed Fred Fauver, who was on the board for two, three-year terms. Incumbent Kathryn Brown ran unopposed for the Regional School Unit 5 board. Brown is the board’s vice chairwoman. Lorraine Merrill, a longtime member of the Cemetery Commission, was the only person on the ballot for that position.

The valuation added to the town by the completed Central Maine Power Co. Surowiec Substation will help tax rates in Pownal next year.