BROWNVILLE – A proposed municipal spending plan of $720,154 is up for action at the annual town meeting on Monday, March 20.

The town meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Brownville Elementary School. Polls will be open from noon to 5 p.m. The warrant has been condensed this year into 38 articles. Elections will include two selectmen and a director of SAD 41.

Of the municipal appropriations, the proposed 2006 budget represents about a $13,000 increase over the current budget, according to Brownville Town Manager Sophia Wilson.

Although the budget falls under the LD 1 spending cap for the town, municipal officials are encouraging residents to approve an article to increase the property tax levy limit in the event of an unforeseen circumstance.

Wilson said it is an important article because the formula used to calculate the tax cap is so “convoluted” that if a minor mistake is made, it could “throw the figures off dramatically.” She likened the article to a safety net.

Residents also will be asked to approve a wholesale revision to the town’s Flood Plain Management Ordinance. The state requires the ordinance be up to date; the town adopted its last ordinance in 1987.

The bad news, Wilson said, is that the State Planning Office told the town that if the ordinance were not revised, homeowners would be ineligible for flood insurance.

The good news, however, is that the State Planning Office provided a new ordinance tailored to Brownville, she said. That new ordinance has been reviewed by town officials, examined by the planning board, and presented at a public hearing without any revisions.

“It will be good for the community,” she said.