CAMBRIDGE  — The proposed municipal budget before Town Meeting voters on Saturday is about 4 percent lower than the current one, but a drop in the property tax rate is unlikely because of uncertainty about state funding. 

The proposed budget decreases by $6,629 to $147,029. 

Among the budget proposals, voters also will be asked to replenish a dam restoration fund that went unfunded last year. The board used $4,000 from the fund and will ask taxpayers to refund the expense in this year’s budget.

The budget’s effect on the current property tax rate of  $18.70 per $1,000 assessed value is uncertain because of state proposal’s to cut municipal and school funding. The municipal budget also does not include spending for schools or the county tax.

The Town Meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the Cambridge Town Office and will break for a fundraising lunch that helps support the software fund.

Elections are held from the floor of the meeting. This will be the first year for staggered terms for the selectmen, starting with one year for the first selectman, two years for the second, and three years for the third. All incumbents are expected to seek re-election, including First Selectman Ronald J. Strouse, Second Selectman William J. Digby, Third Selectman Ronald R. Watson, Town Clerk Carol Laplant and School Administrative District 4 directors Holly Gifford and Evelyn Farrar.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.