PITTSFIELD – Town councilors lauded both the decrease in the proposed SAD 53 school budget and the increase in recycling revenues at their meeting Tuesday.

“I think this is a good budget,” Superintendent Michael Gallagher told the council. “Anytime I come to you and tell you taxes [for school assessments] will be reduced is a good feeling.”

“What a great job,” Councilor Michael Gray told Gallagher, reflecting on the district’s lowering of local taxes.

“We were very frugal,” Gallagher commented, which resulted in a large fund balance that could be applied to lower taxation. In addition, he explained, additional state revenues and a lower enrollment that allowed the cutting of some positions, enabled the district to lower Pittsfield’s share of the SAD 53 budget by $279,836.

The budget is proposed at $10.7 million, a 4.16 percent increase over 2006, but Pittsfield’s assessment will actually decrease by 12.23 percent.

Gallagher presented a spreadsheet that showed that state subsidy increases have kept up with increased budget costs since 2001. In those six years, the overall school budget has increased by $2,178,135, while the state subsidy has increased by $2,054,317. “You can see, the subsidy increase has nearly kept up with our expenditure increase,” Gallagher said.

Since 2001, the tax assessments to all three SAD 53 towns – Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit – have decreased by 12.52 percent. In that same time span, Gallagher reported, the valuation of the three towns increased by $89 million.

The good news, he said is that next year’s budget should also see a decrease. But in the following year, when the subsidy does not increase, “it will be a much tighter budget and very difficult.”

Councilors also were impressed with Recycling Coordinator Don Chute’s report that showed that although the town’s recycling rate dropped, so has the overall solid waste tonnage.

Chute explained to town councilors that the items that Pittsfield pays to get rid of have decreased while the items that generate revenue have increased.

Although the town’s official state rate dropped by 5 percent, Chute advised the council: “There is nothing to panic about.”

“We are in the 10 top towns in the state for recycling,” he said. “The state average is 35 to 36 percent.” At more than 60 percent, Pittsfield is still well above the state average.

“Revenues are up and we will see a real savings this year,” he said. “Last year we made more than $76,000 in revenues.”

Chute credited the community and businesses for actively participating in the recycling program and his work crew at the recycling center for avidly pursuing the project. “They are the biggest asset we have,” Chute said.

In other business, the council authorized an agreement with Central Maine Power and Verizon to attach American flags to the utility poles on Somerset Avenue and Main Street. Flags are on sale at the town office and a framed list of whom the flags are donated by and for will be posted. The flags are $35 each and will be erected by Memorial Day. More than 60 flags have been purchased already, according to Celebrations Committee liaison Brian Philbrick.