March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Hearing deals with post-Loring downsizing > Towns must trim budgets to avoid tax increases

LIMESTONE — The impact of proposed reductions in community services and employees as Loring Air Force Base phases down was presented Wednesday to residents at a State of the Town public hearing at the high school.

The issues concerned the impacts on municipal government, the school board, the water and sewer district, the budget committee, the Tri-Community Landfill, Northern Maine Regional Planning Commission and Loring Readjustment Committee.

Clifford Pelletier, chairman of the Limestone Budget Committee, said he was concerned with earlier action by residents who opposed town budgets with reductions in staff and services.

“If you want to remain status quo, that’s fine,” said Pelletier. “Nineteen ninety-five is down the road. You can double your mill rate. If not, we can work together to downsize.”

Peter Huntress, chairman of the board of selectmen, said the town’s population would go from 7,581 in 1993 to below 2,000 residents by 1994. Over the years, the town has received an average of $350,000 in state revenue sharing per year.

“With a population of below 2,000, the town would be lucky to be eligible for $100,000 per year” said Huntress.

The selectmen will be faced with decreasing the town’s operating budget by at least $300,000 over the next three years, forcing the selectmen to eliminate jobs, said Huntress.

At the hearing, residents recommended replacing the full-time recreation director with a part-time director during the summer, and to offer intramural sports programs at the school.

Town Manager Troy Brown listed proposed cuts for municipal employee positions, including: one administrative full-time position reduced to a part-time position; eliminating hours for a part-time library position; reducing 40 hours of police protection; eliminating a full-time public works department position; reducing a full-time fire department position to part-time; and reducing recreation department services, while maintaining a full-time position.

“There is no need to eliminate everything overnight,” said Brown.

Residents encouraged the board to avoid raising property taxes; to avoid nepotism and favoritism in cutting municipal positions; and to develop a time-line schedule for reduction of town services to inform residents.

“Don’t wait until 1995 to cut, do it now,” said one voter.

Selectmen were preparing for state and federal revenue reductions by creating healthy reserve accounts to assist in rough times, Brown said.

Residents offered other money-saving alternatives, including reducing overtime in all departments and increasing medical deductibles for employees.

James Morse, school superintendent, said the school system’s primary concern will be to maintain a quality school system for the town.

The school district will lose 80 percent of its students, reducing a system of 1,550 students in 1991 to 300-350 students by the end of the next school year, and a loss of 125 to 180 employees, said Morse.

To prepare for the reduction, the school committee is planning improvements to include a new $500,000 roof for the high school, installation of energy-efficient water heaters and lighting systems, and upgrading school windows, Morse said.

Because the school will lose federal impact aid with the loss of Loring Air Force Base, it will be more dependent on state and local taxes, said Morse.

The school committee is seeking additional revenue from the Department of Defense to offset the loss of federal dollars for several years after all base dependents have left, said Morse.


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