The Brunswick Town Council adopted a budget with a tax hike just under 4% at a meeting Thursday night.

Councilors adopted a $49.4 million school budget, $103,379 less than the spending plan proposed by the school board on May 2.  The school board approved the reduced version of the district’s spending plan, which is expected to reduce the projected tax rate impact from 2.16% to 1.94%.

The reduction comes after the school board suggests a delay in the hiring of custodians and bus drivers until the start of the school year, saving $45,796, a delay in hiring a board-certified behavior analyst, or a potential reduction depending on student needs, saving $52,500 and reductions in professional development, saving $5,083.

The council also voted to adopt a $33.1 million municipal budget, $94,199 less than the $33.2 million previously proposed, decreasing the tax rate impact from 2.16% to 1.99%.

This reduction comes after the town manager proposed a delay in hiring two firefighter/EMTs until January, saving$76,301, as well as the hiring of a new geographic information system administrator until September, saving $17,898.

With the 3.98% tax increase, the tax rate will be $21.69 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or 83 cents per $1,000 of taxable value more than the current fiscal year.

“With inflationary pressures, pandemic recovery efforts, and new debt service, this is a challenging budget year for the school department and the municipal government,” said Councilor Dan Ankeles. “We will be working as hard as we can to strike the right balance between meeting the community’s needs and respecting the difficulties many families are facing economically.”

Voters will be asked to validate the adopted school budget – nearly $5.8 million or 13.27% more than 2021-22 adopted budget – at a June 14 referendum. From May 13 to June 9, people can request an absentee ballot to vote in the school budget referendum.