March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

St. George selectmen support SAD 50 line-item budget vote

ST. GEORGE — Selectmen voted unanimously to support a petition that seeks a line-item vote on the SAD 50 budget for the 2000-2001 school year.

Town Manager John Falla said there have been recent discussions in the Legislature to have the law changed so that all school budgets are done by a line-item referendum vote. However, the Legislature rejected the idea, Falla said, adding that selectmen decided, “Let’s do it at the local level.”

Superintendent John Dirnbauer said, “They need to take that matter up with their legislators.”

Falla said there are two other ways of changing the voting format besides going through the Legislature. One avenue is to have the school board initiate the change; the other is for the change to be prompted by a petition.

The number of signatures needed is 10 percent of the number of voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election in each town. SAD 50 is composed of Thomaston, St. George and Cushing. Falla did not yet have those numbers available.

State law on budget format states that: “The board of directors shall determine the budget format unless it is established by the district voters,” by petition, as is being attempted, or by district voters at a meeting.

At a meeting, there must be the lesser of either 20 percent of the number of registered voters or 200 registered voters who vote, with a majority approving it.

If a line-item format is established, the school board would be prohibited from using money for anything other than what the money was designated for, unless authorized by voters.


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