The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen and Damariscotta Budget Committee agreed to reduce their municipal budget recommendations by $40,337.92 during a special meeting Monday, May 18.
The reductions include $12,147.27 to the public works budget, $11,481 to the police department budget, $11,009.65 to the administration budget, and $5,700 to the fire department budget.
The selectmen and the budget committee also revised non-property tax revenue projections upward by $18,100 for a total impact to the budget of $58,437.92.
The reductions include a voluntary $8,400 or 10 percent decrease in Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus’ salary just four months after Lutkus negotiated a $4,000 raise. Lutkus would take a day off every two weeks in exchange for the decrease.
Lutkus said he would continue to “do all the things that are state-mandated and charter-mandated for a town manager, but I wouldn’t be able to do all of of the things I do that tap a lot of my expertise, the reason you hired me – my ability to network, ability to bring in some additional grant funds.”
“I’d do the best I could, but I’d be taking a day off every other week,” Lutkus said. “I want to be part of this solution if you feel like we need to make some cuts.”
Josh Pinkham, a former selectman and candidate to return to the board, called on the selectmen and the budget committee to make further reductions.
Pinkham suggested that the selectmen and budget committee consider whether to eliminate a police officer position, reduce the number of days the assessors’ agent and town planner work, and reduce the public works budget.
“No department, in my mind, is safe,” Pinkham said.
He also suggested that the town continue to have a part-time administrative assistant in the police department instead of restoring the position to full-time status, as the current budget proposal would do.
“I represent a younger generation in town and a lot of people my age or younger come to me and ask me, ‘What can you do?’ Because we’re struggling to pay our taxes,” Pinkham said.
“Everybody’s trying to stay in our hometown and we give back within the fire department, politics, whatever, coaching, volunteering our time, so we’re trying to find a way we can stay in town,” Pinkham said.
The selectmen and the budget committee discussed each of Pinkham’s suggestions, as well as other targets for reductions. Neither the selectmen nor the budget committee made motions for any reductions beyond the staff recommendations, however.
Ultimately, the selectmen approved the staff-recommended changes to the budget 4-0 and the budget committee approved the changes 7-0-1. Budget committee member Shari Sage abstained from the vote.
A larger-than-expected increase in the county tax will offset more than half of the reductions.
The town had budgeted for a 3 percent increase, but will absorb an 8.8 percent increase due to a county budget hike and an increase in Damariscotta’s state valuation.
Damariscotta paid $403,974.84 in county taxes in 2014 and will pay $439,531.93 this year, an increase of $35,557.09.
The selectmen and budget committee are recommending a total 2015-2016 municipal budget of $2,220,468.94, a decrease of $12,056.06 or 0.54 percent. The figure does not include the county tax or education budgets.
