Brunswick’s town manager has recommended a $101.97 million budget for the next fiscal year, which comes with a just under 3% increase in the tax rate.

Town Manager Julia Henze presented the budget to the Town Council at a meeting Thursday evening. The council voted to set an April 28 public hearing on the proposed spending plan, as well as the town’s next four-year capital improvement program.

“This council and councils in the past have done an amazing job, in my opinion, at bringing the town of Brunswick into the 21st century, and this is just another step,” District 1 Councilor David Watson said at Thursday’s meeting.

If the budget passes as is, a home assessed at $350,000 would see a $245 increase in its property taxes, based on a tax rate increase from $23.85 to $24.55 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The council plans on voting to adopt the budget on May 15. The fiscal year 2025-26 budget takes effect July 1.

The town budget is a combination of the municipal and school department budgets, as well as the county tax assessment. It assumes no change in total property value in anticipation of this year’s revaluation.

The manager recommended a $57.71 million school budget following a presentation by the School Board on April 10. That budget reflects a roughly 5.26% increase from the previous year, and will result in an estimated 1.8% tax rate increase. As in previous years, the town’s highest expenditure is education, comprising more than half of the total budget.

Taxpayers will vote on the school budget in a referendum on June 10.

Under the budget plan, municipal spending will increase roughly $530,000, with personnel, contracted service costs and transfers to reserve funds as major drivers. Town Hall will move to a four-day work week this year, saving some money for the town.

The county tax assessment will increase by about $190,000, or 9.5%, from the previous fiscal year.

The council also set a public hearing on the proposed capital improvement plan, a fund balance used for one-time expenditures. This $2.27 million fund will be used for updates, including work on the police station parking lot and the recreation center roof, in addition to street and culvert engineering projects and improvements to schools and the Curtis Memorial Library.

Brunswick will also use tax increment financing funds for construction on Maine Street, revitalization efforts at Cook’s Corner, transit expenses and to support groups like the Brunswick Downtown Association.

A breakdown of the town’s full proposed budget is available on the Brunswick website.