Alton residents give approval to budget

ALTON – Taxpayers learned at Saturday’s annual town meeting that recently passed legislation designed to ease the tax burden likely will hurt their wallets.

The Legislature voted in January to increase the so-called homestead exemption for homeowners but reduced the reimbursement from the state to the towns by 50 percent.

That leaves residents with the burden of coming up with an additional $19,000, state Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, D-Orono, explained to taxpayers at the meeting.

After hearing of the decreased funding, residents went on to pass the recommended budget, according to Town Clerk Jackie Huggins.

Last year’s budget was about $231,000, with about $32,000 raised from property taxes, according to the assessors’ report. Residents approved this year’s budget, which was about $4,600 more than last year, according to Huggins.

Voters decided to appropriate $22,353 from property taxes for payment on a firetruck; a sum of $20,000 from surplus, plus $25,000 from excise taxes, for the refuse account; and $9,350 from surplus for the municipal parking lot pavement.

Final budget amounts won’t be available until June when the school budget is voted on.

The following elections also took place Saturday with 13 percent of the town’s 545 registered voters in attendance:

. Reed Thompson, selectman, to serve a three-year term.

. Matt Leland and Lyman Feero Jr., school committee, to serve three-year terms.

. Theresa McAuley, school committee, to serve a one-year term.

. Jackie Huggins, town clerk.

. Paulette Borka, tax collector and treasurer.

. Nelson Feero Sr., sexton.

. Jackie Huggins, Kenneth Young, George Spencer, Brian Engstrom and Debbie Gibbs were chosen to serve on the budget committee.