Orrington residents elect officials, OK budgets

loading...

ORRINGTON – Residents elected three people to town and school boards during local elections Monday and approved $2 million for the town budget and $5.4 million for the school department during the annual town meeting.

Based on rough estimates, the town is looking at a property tax rate increase of between 75 cents and $1.50, making the new rate between $16.25 and $17 per $1,000 of valuation, Town Manager Dexter Johnson said.

Incumbent Ralph Holmes was re-elected town selectman, and Kyle Casburn and Richard Jordan easily won enough votes to fill the two open school board positions. All three seats carry three-year terms and were uncontested.

Approximately 80 people attended the 113th annual town meeting for Orrington. By a show of Popsicle-style voting sticks, the group approved $2,086,315 to run the town, an increase of nearly 25 percent over last year’s $1.65 million.

This amount was broken down into nine articles that were approved individually. Residents approved paying:

. $440,037 for administrative salaries and expenses.

. $21,000 to compensate town officials.

. $652,826 for bridges, roads, paving and snow removal.

. $23,175 for health, social services and recreational expenses.

. $237,678 for police, fire, ambulance and animal control services.

. $54,951 for the library.

. $214,000 for capital purchases, including a new $123,000 rescue vehicle for the Fire Department.

. $186,548 for capital projects.

. $256,100 for county taxes.

The group also approved $5,409,915 for the Union 91 2004-2005 school year, an increase of 2.1 percent over last year’s nearly $5.29 million.

During the meeting, residents also approved:

. Raising $1,991,584 for the local share of the school budget.

. Paying $83,999 for school debt service.

. Raising an additional $748,433 for school purposes.

. Using $1,144,998 from nonproperty tax revenues to offset property taxes.

. Accepting $320,650 in various grants and reimbursements funds, the largest being $250,000 in state revenue sharing.

Most of the 25 articles passed without question and many passed unanimously. Several residents, however, presented questions, including resident Terry Bladen who wanted to know if Orrington was living within its means.

“It sounds to me that we’re trying to keep up with the Joneses,” he said.

Bladen and resident Mark Lawrence, who sits on the school board, wanted to know how the town was going to pay for a new firetruck.

“Some of the money has already been set aside and earmarked for that truck,” Johnson said.

He said $15,000 a year has been set aside for the last three years for a total of $45,000.

“It’s going to replace two vehicles,” Fire Chief Scott Stewart said. “It’s going to respond to all of the ambulance calls.”

A rescue van and a truck will be replaced with the new purchase. Chairman Paul White said the reserve fund has been underbudgeted for years. This year $50,000 will be placed in the reserve account to help pay for the next city-purchased vehicle, which adheres to the vehicle purchase schedule set up several years ago, White said.

Today voters will return to voting booths to decide on several town charter amendments and to vote in state primaries.

Polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. at the town office on Center Drive.