BIDDEFORD — The City Council voted 7-2 Wednesday to approve a total school budget of $29.53 million for fiscal year 2016, which includes $19.65 million to be raised locally. Residents will be able to vote on the school budget in a referendum on June 11.

However, by a 5-4 vote, the council failed to pass a proposed city government budget of $27.59 million. This, coupled with the school budget as it stands, would have translated to a 71 cent, or 3.77 percent, increase in the city’s mil rate. Some councilors expressed an opinion that the figure was too high and there were others felt it was too low.

At a meeting last week, a motion by Council Chair John McCurry to remove $500,000 from an earlier version of the current proposed budget, which had originally topped $28 million, passed by a 6-3 vote.

However, through four approved amendments at Wednesday’s meeting, approximately $100,00 of that half a million dollars was reincorporated into the budget, including $63,000 to go toward filling the Biddeford Fire Department’s currently vacant chief position ”“ whether it’s with a new chief or by some other means, such as hiring a public safety director.

“This money is extremely important to what we’re trying to do here,” said Roger Gelinas, a member of the Fire Commission. “That is extremely vital to getting this position filled with a quality person.”

Richard Rhames, a former city councilor and resident, also spoke in support of reintroducing funds into the fire department’s budget. “The idea of decapitating the fire department doesn’t seem to me to make a lot of sense,” he said.

Additionally, Councilor Marc Lessard successfully motioned to move $1.47 million in funds previously designated for road paving projects to the budget’s contingency fund, with the hope that in November voters will approve a bond for the roadwork. The leftover money could then be used elsewhere.

“The intent of this is if we’re blessed enough ”¦ to have the bond pass, there’ll still be $1.4 million to go to the fund balance,” said Lessard.

Councilor Michael Swanton was one of three councilors who opposed the motion. “Even if we had a $10 million bond we wouldn’t have enough money to do all the roadwork we need to do,” he said.

In Biddeford, bonds for paving projects have in the past failed at the ballot box. 

Later, Lessard successfully motioned to reduce the contingency fund by $500,000 in the interest of lowering the mil rate. However, even then, the reductions weren’t enough to provoke an affirmative vote from him.

Lessard said he won’t vote in favor of the budget until it translates to a less than 3 percent jump in the mil rate. The city’s finance director, Curt Koehler said, for that request to be met, more than $300,000 in additional reductions must be proposed ”“ a job he and City Manager John Bubier plan to take on.

The council will meet on Monday to ”“ again ”“ take a stab at passing the city government budget.