BIDDEFORD— On Wednesday, Biddeford residents can share their thoughts on the proposed fiscal year 2020 budget that would increase the tax rate by 36 cents. A public hearing on the budget beginning at 6 p.m. will take place at City Council Chambers at City Hall on Main Street. The hearing will be followed by the City Council’s first vote on the figures.

The city portion of the proposed FY 2020 expenditure budget to begin July 1, is $33.1 million, the education portion is $38.9 million — including about $689,500 for adult education — and the cost is $1.2 million for the county tax, bringing the grand total to $73.2 million. The total amount of taxes to be raised, according to budget documents on the city website, is about $43.8 million.

If the proposed expenditure budget were to pass as is, the mil rate for FY 2020 would be about $20.06 per $1,000 of assessed value, a 36 cent increase over the current $19.70 tax rate. Property taxes for a single-family, median valued home of $227,1000 would be about $4,154.42 for the year, versus $4,079.87 last year, a $74.55 increase, City Manager James Bennett said.

Creating two to four more firefighter positions, which had been discussed earlier in the budget process, is not included in the proposed budget, he said.

In addition, an ordinance amendment would be created to require property owners of three- to five-unit multifamily residences to ensure that their tenants comply with recycling rules designed to reduce recycling contamination. “If we don’t do anything (the city will) have to pay $150,000,” Bennett said. If these multi-family property owners don’t comply with ordinance that is to be proposed, the city will no longer pick up recycling for the affected buildings, he said.

Only about 4 cents of the increase would pay for the city portion of the budget, with about 32 cents to cover the rise in education costs. The total proposed increase to the education budget from the FY 2019 to FY 2020 budget is about $646,941, Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Ray said, which is about 2.99 percent.

The proposed academics and operations increase is a little under $100,000, he said, while capital improvement costs would go up about $557,000, he said.

In a recent memo from Ray to the City Council he said, “The FY20 Biddeford School Department budget created a different set of challenges than in the past several years. As you are well aware, the school department has been able to pass on almost no increase to the tax rate during the past five budget cycles, but changes in enrollment, increased labor, health insurance costs (6.7%), and increases in city land valuation have impacted our budget. 

Despite increased costs for labor and health insurance, the school department was able to get by with only a recommended 0.45 increase in academic and operations costs. “A lot has to do with the size of the school population (which) is down a bit,” Ray said.

With a decrease in students, there will be staff reductions. He said the department is eliminating 3.5 elementary teachers, 2.5 middle school teachers, one high school teacher and one  librarian at Biddeford Primary School. However the net reduction is only six teacher positions because some positions will be replaced with education technicians. Reductions are being achieved through retirements, restructuring some positions, and there will be “a couple lay-offs,” Ray said

The majority of the proposed education increase, about 2.54 percent, is on the capital improvement side of the budget.

A large portion, about $340,000 would be for renovations to the second floor of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. Other budgeted items include: paving at the Biddeford Primary School, $70,000; BPS parking lot light poles, $52,000; Doran field bathroom and building, $30,000; security cameras at Biddeford Elementary School, $20,000; a storage garage at Biddeford Middle School, $20,000; floor repairs at Biddeford High School, $15,000; sign repair at  Biddeford Middle School, $6,000; and an access card door at BPS, $4,000.

After the initial vote by City Council, a second vote will take place Tuesday, May 14. If passed, and if approved by the mayor, the city and county portion of the budget would be finalized. Biddeford voters get the final say on the education budget. Residents can go to the polls at the Tiger Gym at Biddeford High School on Maplewood Avenue from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 11.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 780-9014 or dmendros@journaltribune.com