Fairfield will present a nearly flat $5.4 million budget to voters during its Town Meeting, but the Town Council and the budget committee differed slightly on how much to give to nonprofit groups.
The Town Council recommended a budget of $5,442,118, an increase of $505 over the current year’s municipal budget of $5,441,613.
Fairfield’s annual Town Meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, May 12, at the Community Center.
The budget committee has recommended spending $3,450 more than that on increased allocations to four nonprofit agencies in the area that provide social services to those in need. The Town Council has recommended flat funding for those groups.
The budget committee has recommended an increase of $500, to $3,000, for child and family services provided by Kennebec Valley Community Action Program; an increase of $1,200, to $3,000, for the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter; an increase of $1,500, to $4,000, for Spectrum Generations; and an increase of $250, to $1,500, to support Hospice of Waterville.
Last year, the budget committee was on the other side of the issue when it recommended reducing the amount given to Kennebec Behavioral Health from $3,500 to $600. At that Town Meeting, about 60 voters voted overwhelmingly to support the Town Council’s recommendation of a more modest reduction to $2,000.
Kennebec Behavioral Health provided community-based services to prevention, education and treatment services to more than 13,5000 in the region each year.
Earlier this year, leaders were considering a municipal budget with an increase of about $40,000, but that amount was trimmed from capital improvement account allocations to make it closer to flat.
Last year’s budget was $5,449,441, slightly less than the current year’s budget.
The town’s property tax rate is $20.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling — 861-9287 mhhetling@centralmaine.com Twitter: @hh_matt
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