VEAZIE – Town councilors expressed discontent Monday night with a possible 18 percent tax rate increase that could result from next year’s proposed budget.

Presented at the council meeting by Town Manager Bill Reed, the combined municipal and school budget of roughly $5.1 million is an increase of 6 percent over last year’s budget and would result in a proposed mill rate increase from 16.5 to 19.5.

“Nineteen point five is totally unacceptable as far as I’m concerned,” Councilor Joe Friedman said.

Introduced at a council meeting two weeks ago, the coming year’s school budget could cost $512,169 more in local support due to increases in secondary tuition, salaries and benefits, coupled with a 16.52 percent cut in state education funding. This year’s proposed municipal budget was dropped $100,000 to help cope with the decreases.

A similar balancing act occurred with last year’s budget, Reed said. In the 2002-03 fiscal year, the municipal budget was decreased by $180,000 to offset the $250,000 increase in the school budget for the current year, he said.

“I think where we have asked the town side to cut … I think [the school] needs to tune in to what we’re doing to hold this mill rate down,” Councilor William Hogan said.

After a budget overview from Reed, heads of the town’s various departments outlined their budgets, which would make up the overall municipal budget.

The Fire Department budget showed no capital improvements and dropped 16 percent to $188,609. The overall police budget increased 8 percent to $298,586, with more training needs, the DARE program and computer maintenance.

The council directed Reed to ask Superintendent Thomas Perry and the school committee to reconsider the school budget and bring possible recommendations for changes to the next budget meeting.

The council will review both sides of the budget again on Monday, May 5.