Town Meetings

Cherryfield

Steadily rising costs in Cherryfield’s municipal budgets should level off after this year, the town manager says.

“What has been driving up the taxes are state-mandated regulations for solid waste management and in other areas,” George Hanington said Thursday. “We have brought these all into compliance, so the budget should be stable over the next several years.”

Budget building was difficult with so many residents already struggling to pay their taxes, he added.

Two blueberry factories produce the most tax revenues for the community. A property management firm also shares a large percentage of the tax burden.

The proposed municipal budget will be presented to voters at the annual town meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 10, at the Cherryfield Elementary School gymnasium.

Elections will take place the previous week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at the Town Hall. None of the candidates is opposed for the offices they seek.

They are: incumbent Charles Tenan, selectman, three years; Marjorie Brown, selectman, two years; incumbent Kevin Barbee, assessor, three years; and Mark Richmond, assessor, one year. Nobody filed papers for the available SAD 37 director’s position.

The proposed municipal budget, at $721,000, is 4 percent higher than last year, mainly because of costs associated with solid waste disposal and snow removal. The sum of $200,000 is to be raised in taxes.

The budget also includes an 11.2 percent hike in the utilities account and an additional 3 percent increase in salaries.

The community has 1,157 residents, with 21 percent over the age of 65; 54.5 percent between the ages of 20 and 64; and 24.6 percent up to 19 years old.

Hanington estimated the cost of education at $1.7 million, including bond issues approved in December for an addition to the district’s high school in Harrington and air quality improvements at the district’s elementary school in Milbridge.

The county assessment for Cherryfield is up 11 percent.

Milbridge

Requests for a $44,000 dump truck for the Public Works Department and $10,000 to establish a reserve account to restore the deteriorating Jordan Pier will be decided by voters at the Monday, March 3, annual town meeting.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the elementary school, preceded by a 5:30 p.m. fish chowder supper.

Nominations from the floor during the election portion of the business meeting will seat a selectman, assessor, SAD 37 director and two water district trustees, all to three-year terms.

At $805,545, the proposed municipal budget is up about $9,000 from last year, according to Fred Ventresco, town manager.

“It looks like we had a very good year and came in under budget,” he said Thursday. “We are still awaiting the official audit. Due to some of the major capital projects facing the town, 2003 will be a challenging year.”

The tax rate for the community of 1,002 people is $23.30 per $1,000 in property valuation.

The restoration of the town’s commercial fishing pier is estimated at $600,000, according to Ventresco.

In the past, the structure, the centerpiece of the marine community, had been estimated to represent about 50 percent of the town’s economic base.

“We are applying for [a government] grant and looking at any other sources of funding that can help us,” he added.

Last summer, inspectors from an engineering firm said rust had eaten holes into the supporting I-beams, causing deterioration at an accelerating rate. The town was given a two-year deadline to rebuild it or face its closure.