Efforts to reduce Veazie budget fail; residents approve proposed $4.7M

VEAZIE – After motions failed to reduce some municipal department budgets, residents at Tuesday night’s town meeting approved the $4.7 million budget as proposed.

Although the budget decreased from last year by roughly $180,000, the current mill rate of $16.50 per $1,000 will rise to $17.19 per $1,000 due to decreases in state funding.

Of the nearly 60 people attending, few supported resident-initiated motions to reduce by roughly 10 percent the budgets of the town office, the public works department, the Fire Department and the Police Department.

The approved municipal budget of $1,733,782 represents a decrease of $210,319 or 12 percent from the current budget, according to Town Manager Bill Reed. The decrease included cuts in the municipal building fund, as well as the equipment funds for the fire and public works departments.

The approved school budget of $3,021,536 represents an increase of $128,160 or 4.4 percent over the current year’s budget. The budget reflects a drop of $202,003 or 16.52 percent in state aid to education, which led to the cut of two school positions and the postponement of some technology purchases and capital improvements to the school.

Rising property values and a decrease in enrollment at the Veazie Community School led to the decrease in state funding. Over the last two years, the school’s enrollment has dropped from 210 to 189.