PITTSFIELD – Even as councilors continued on Tuesday night to refine and define the 2006 budget, they set it for a public hearing on Dec. 20.

Lame duck Mayor Peter “Andi” Vigue, whose term expires Dec. 31, explained that by the time the public hearing is held, firm figures should be available.

“We’re just bookmarking it with this action,” Vigue said. “We can change the final figures right up to the public hearing.”

Former Mayor Gary Jordan has been attending all of the budget workshops as he will fill Vigue’s seat on Jan. 1.

The estimated figures are $190,000 to be raised through taxes to fund a myriad of capital improvement projects and $923,299 in taxes to be raised for the operating budget.

The total capital budget is $1.9 million and the operating budget is $2.5 million, but other sources, such as grants, reserve accounts, other revenues and state revenue sharing will fund the lion’s share of the budgets.

Following a brief business meeting on Tuesday night, the council reviewed the communications, police, and animal control budgets with Police Chief Steven Emery, the fire department budget with Assistant Chief Dean Billings and the Public Works budget with department head John Dixon.

No changes were made in the proposed accounts, but Emery did announced that the town was looking to hire a new animal control officer.

Most of the budgets increased slightly, due to both across-the-board salary increases of 2 percent and the higher costs of fuel and gasoline.

Gas reimbursements for police officers using their own vehicles for court appearances went up from 20 cents per mile to 35 cents.

Fire department per-hour wages each went up by 25 cents per hour; the stipend for firefighters was put at $100 from zero and increased by $30 a year for captains. The chief’s stipend of $1,000 a year and the assistant chief’s of $500 a year remained the same, per Chief Bernard Williams request.

The next budget workshop will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at which time the following budgets will be reviewed: transfer station, recycling, water and sewer.

In other business on Tuesday, the council:

. Approved Taylor Network of Bangor as the town’s long distance phone service carrier at 4.7 cents per minute.

. Approved the use of master meters in the town’s mobile home parks, which will limit the town’s liability inside the park and return responsibility for individual tenant billing to the park management.

Town Clerk Tonja Lary also announced that the final write-in winners for two SAD 53 seats are Jean Bradshaw and William Roth. Roth tied with six other candidates, but all others declined to be seated.