City OKs tax cap override to pay increased fuel costs

BANGOR – After several months of deliberations, discussions and debate, city councilors adopted on Monday night an $86.4 million operating budget for municipal and school operations in the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The budget will result in a tax rate of $19.05 per $1,000 in property valuation, up 1.3 percent from this year.

The new gross municipal budget of $44.5 million reflects a 3.8 percent increase from this year.

The councilors authorized a $41.5 million school budget during a special meeting on June 2. Voters approved that budget, which reflects a 4.4 percent increase, at the polls on June 10 during the first school budget validation referendum in recent history.

The overall budget also includes nearly $2.5 million to cover the county tax bill, which increased 3.7 percent.

A major budget factor city officials had to wrestle with this spring was fuel costs that continue to spiral out of control.

During a recent budget workshop, Finance Director Deborah Cyr pointed out that the city’s total cost for fuel is projected to increase by more than 80 percent.

Given the pressure of keeping pace with skyrocketing fuel costs, the councilors also voted Monday to override the state’s cap on municipal tax levies. All of the $484,791 override will go toward the city’s fuel tab.

Despite the hike in the city’s cost for fuel for heating city buildings and running its fleet of vehicles, belt-tightening yielded a municipal budget that maintains the level of services that Bangor residents have come to expect.

To offset some of its increased operating costs, the city eliminated a vacant position at its recycling facility and a vacant post at Bass Park. Two vacant posts in the engineering department have become a single combined job.

In addition, the councilors opted not to fund requests for three new police officers, a deputy fire chief and public education officer for the Fire Department, evening hours and an outer Hammond Street route for the BAT bus system, and new front doors for City Hall, to name a few. They also reduced funding for most of the so-called “outside” groups that depend on city subsidies for part or all of their funding.

dgagnon@bangordailynews.net

990-8189