The Brunswick Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a $101.97 million town budget for the next fiscal year Thursday night, set aside money for capital improvements and sent its recommended school budget to voters in June.

The 2025-26 fiscal year budget comes with a 2.94% increase in the property tax rate. The council had planned to keep the increase under 3%, as Brunswick faces a revaluation this year.

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 the looming revaluation. The new budget takes effect on July 1.

The council also voted unanimously to back a $57.71 million school budget, as recommended by the school board in April. That budget reflects a 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 and will weigh in on one school board seat on June 10.

With the new budget, a home assessed at $350,000 will 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 property value.

The budget was approved as recommended by Town Manager Julia Henze in April.

“I want to thank the school department and all of the councilors who pulled together to work together,” Council Chairperson Sande Updegraph said at Thursday’s meeting. “I think we produced an extraordinary product and we plan to make it even better next year.”

Councilors also set a plan for capital improvements through 2030 and set aside $2.27 million in unassigned funds and $738,000 in tax increment financing funds to be used on projects this fiscal year.

Capital improvements to be done this year include 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 use its revenue from TIF districts for the ongoing Maine Street streetscape repaving project and the Cook’s Corner revitalization project.

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