SAD 48 voters lean against $17M budget Tax increases greatest hurdle for residents

NEWPORT – With four of the six SAD 48 towns reporting Tuesday night, it appears that the proposed $17 million school budget was defeated.

Voters in Newport, St. Albans, Hartland and Palmyra combined to defeat all six questions. Towns not reporting at press time were Plymouth and Corinna.

Newport voters defeated nearly all of the six budget articles by a margin of about 60 votes, as did St. Albans.

In Palmyra, the gap was about 20 votes. Hartland votes were closer, with fewer than seven votes separating some questions. Palmyra, Hartland and Newport approved accepting additional state grant funding. State grants were turned down in St. Albans.

The bottom line of the budget was rejected in all four communities, and in order for it to be accepted, the two remaining towns would have to pass the bottom line, Question 4, by a margin of more than 170 votes.

It appears that school officials are in for a battle similar to the one fought last year when SAD 48 voters defeated six referendums in a row, setting a state record. The seventh meeting was held as a town meeting and drew more than 2,000 residents, who passed the $16.8 million proposal.

Opponents to the budget consistently have said they object to paying more each year in taxes to support schools. Property tax reform is their goal, and they say they are defeating the budget in an attempt to send a message to legislators in Augusta.

When all of the votes have been counted, if the budget is finally defeated, it will be sent back to the SAD 48 budget committee and then to the full board of directors either to be cut further or sent back to the voters as it stands.

The directors also must decide whether they will continue with a referendum vote or go back to a town meeting format.