Increases expected in 5-town CSD budget

CAMDEN – A nearly final draft of the proposed Five Town Community School District budget is up 5.48 percent over the current year’s spending plan to $10.8 million.

Among the areas where increases are planned are:

. Administration, up $120,109, or 19 percent, to $744,651.

. Technical services, up $73,146, or 40 percent, to $253,448.

. Special education, up $124,396, or 12 percent, to $1.1 million.

. Vocational education, up $90,349, or 12 percent, to $833,809.

. Transportation, up $51,869, or 12 percent, to $461,138.

CSD Business Manager Bill Carroll has created a spreadsheet projecting what the budget, if approved as it now stands, would mean to area property taxes.

Assuming a 3 percent valuation increase from construction in each of the five towns, the effect of the CSD portion of the property tax bill to a property assessed at $100,000 is described:

. Appleton, from $492 in property taxes this year to $497 next year.

. In Camden, from $315 this year to $343 next year.

. In Hope, from $459 this year to $526 next year.

. In Lincolnville, from $343 this year to $349 next year.

. In Rockport, from $228 this year to $229 next year.

Residents of Camden and Rockport also pay property taxes for SAD 28, which provides kindergarten through eighth-grade education, and the other three towns pay for K-8 education through their town budgets.

Carroll said the CSD board is still working on reducing the budget.

A prewarrant hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the lecture hall in Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport.

The board is scheduled to complete the budget at its meeting April 24.

The budget goes before voters June 13.