Orono official says cuts at $1.7M with Palesky cap

ORONO – More than 20 town jobs will be cut if voters approve the Palesky Tax Cap in November, according to estimates from town officials.

The municipality will face at least $1.7 million in budget cuts, with the most drastic reductions being made to the police and fire departments, according to Town Manager Cathy Conlow.

Conlow presented a “first look” overview of the possible impacts of the Palesky measure to the Finance Committee on Wednesday night.

“We realize that if Palesky passes, we’re going to be looking at a lot of different things,” she said. “These are just some ideas.”

Potential changes that would be made include:

. The elimination of four police positions.

. The elimination of six full-time firefighters.

. Winter road maintenance would be concentrated on state aid roads, while side streets would receive a lower level of service.

. Nearly $90,000 would be cut from the Parks and Recreation budget, meaning fewer community activities, and the pool likely would close.

. There also would be no more curbside trash pickup.

And with each department looking at a 30 to 40 percent reduction in funds, it doesn’t end there.

“We don’t want to be alarmists, but it’s alarming,” Conlow said.

The proposed Palesky Tax Cap would limit local property taxes to $10 per $1,000 valuation.

Orono’s 2005 budget is slightly more than $7 million and raises about $3.1 million from property taxes.

Under the proposed cap, that amount would be reduced to $1.3 million, resulting in a more than $1.7 million loss in revenue.