LITTLETON – As winter winds down and spring approaches, several southern Aroostook County towns are making plans to usher in their new municipal budgets.

In Littleton, Town Manager Jennifer Gogan said on Tuesday that the $348,272 municipal budget would be considered for completion at the annual meeting on March 21.

“This year’s figure is a $23,455 increase from last year,” Gogan said. “The increases are due to several factors. We are putting more money into highways and bridges and have allocated more money for the fire department.”

The figure does not include the county tax or what the local share to SAD 29 will be, according to the manager.

In Hodgdon, Town Manager James Griffin said that town officials are still holding workshops about this year’s proposed budget.

“This year’s budget is consistent with last year’s [budget]” he said Tuesday. “Last year, our municipal budget was $839,000. We want to keep expenses down as much as we can for the taxpayers.”

Griffin has not yet heard what the town’s allocation to SAD 70 will be, as the figures are not usually known until June. The town’s annual meeting will be held in April.

Monticello Town Manager Ginger Pryor also reported that town selectmen will be presented with a budget that has increased $21,000 over last year.

“The increases are due to insurance and roads and bridges costs,” she explained. “We have not yet heard what our share of the county tax will be or what we will be allocating to SAD 29.”

The budget will come before selectmen at the town’s annual meeting on March 21.