Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

February 5

Belgrade selectmen pass small tax increase on to voters

By Paul Koenig
Staff Writer

BELGRADE -- The Board of Selectpersons approved a proposed budget with only a small tax increase for residents to vote on at the March annual Town Meeting.

The town warrant the board approved Tuesday night includes a municipal budget of $2,213,575, which is less than 1 percent larger than last year's budget of $2,196,642.

Voters will select a moderator, elect town officers and vote on secret-ballot budget items March 15, and will vote on the rest of the warrant March 16, both at the Belgrade Community Center for All Seasons.

The Belgrade Community Center for All Seasons and the recreation programs will see the largest cuts if voters approve the proposed budget, which includes nearly $9,000 being cut from the center's $60,000 operating budget and $2,000 from programming.

In new expenditures, the warrant will ask voters whether to spend $25,000 for a trailer for the transfer station, $10,000 for a town pickup truck, $4,250 for new signs and $12,500 for a brine solution system and tank systems for three plow trucks

Voters will vote by secret ballot to elect town officials; whether to approve the operations budget programming for the community center, the library budget and social service donation requests; and whether to use rental income from two residential units on the Dalton property to pay for town building maintenance.

Last year voters approved spending $150,000 to buy the Dalton property to give the town a right of way to Great Pond.

Paul Koenig -- 621-5663
pkoenig@mainetoday.com

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