THOMASTON – The $2.37 million municipal budget voters will consider June 20, includes some major purchases and repairs, but unexpected legal expenses are the reason the budget is getting pushed higher, according to Town Manager Valmore Blastow Jr.

A new ambulance has a price tag of $115,124 and a Public Works dump truck and sander will cost $132,690. The money for those purchases would come from a mix of reserve funds, grants, surplus and borrowing, he said.

The $2,378,216 municipal budget proposed for 2006-07 reflects a 9.5 percent increase over last year’s budget. This figure includes $40,000 for legal and professional fees related to the retail building size cap petitions, Blastow said, noting two lawyers were needed for the Board of Selectmen and zoning planning boards. Wright-Pierce Engineers was hired for a peer review for a proposed development related to the cap.

A $65,000 expense for the assessor to update property values is also figured into the proposed budget. Without the legal expenses and assessing costs, the budget increase over last year would have been 4.7 percent, he said.

Those costs also pushed the amount to be raised by property taxes up 14.57 percent to $1,327,159.

The current tax rate of $19.55 per $1,000 of assessed value is expected to increase to $20.40, Blastow said, “based on a conservative estimate of increased valuation.”

The town’s share of Knox County’s assessment is $229,136, which is up 13.84 percent. A separate county emergency dispatching fee is $63,063, up 8.8 percent. The town’s portion of SAD 50 costs is $2,670,118, up 7.36 percent.

In the budget is an estimated 3 percent pay raise for town employees, including the town manager, whose salary would rise to $59,057. Union negotiations are still ongoing, he noted.

During the annual meeting, taxpayers will also decide on several improvements to town properties and roads:

. Paving upper Beechwood Street, $25,000.

. Handicap-accessible doors and openers town office and Watts Hall entrances, $6,000.

. Watts Hall roof seam repairs, $9,000.

. Replace steel roof on public works garage, $35,000.

The election of town officers will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, June 19, at the American Legion, including the following positions: Incumbent Selectman Wayne Linscott will compete against former Selectwoman Sandra Jordan and newcomer Nancy Carter for one three-year seat. Incumbent SAD 50 Director Joanne Richards is unopposed for a three-year term. Newcomer Gary Upham is unopposed for a one-year SAD 50 director’s seat. A two-year director’s seat has no candidates.

Town meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, at the Williams-Brazier American Legion on Watts Lane.