South Bristol residents quietly approved a $1.6 million school budget during their annual town meeting, held at the South Bristol School March 13.
The meeting, including a generously timed five-minute break for refreshments, and a written ballot vote authorizing the town to exceed the state mandated Essential Programs and Services limit, wrapped up in 1:18.
The sole article of the night to prompt any sort of debate was proposing the appropriation of $23,029 in donations for various provider agencies including Youth Promise ($1000), South Bristol Little League ($800) New Hope For Women ($915) and the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service ($2700).
Long time South Bristol moderator Ken Maguire, in the audience for the first time in 33 years, motioned to amend the article adding $5000 to the Centennial Celebration line item. Maguire argued the account needed to be increased because the cost of fireworks was going up.
In response, Selectmen Chester Rice and Ken Lincoln both said the town has been adding to that account little by little in recent years. Lincoln said the account should have something around $30,000 in it by the time South Bristol’s centennial rolls around in 2015.
Maguire’s motion to amend failed without fanfare and the article passed without further discussion.
Among the school funding articles, voters approved $869,653, for instruction, $147,572 for special education, $9700 for career and technical education, $49,899 for other instruction, $110,186 for student and staff support, $39,412 for system administration, $150,255 for school administration, $122,743 for transportation and busses, $129,643 for facilities maintenance and $7729 for all other expenditures.
Approved as presented, the school budget totaled $1,636,792.
Of that figure the voters approved the school committee’s recommendation of $920,638 and, by a 37-0 written ballot vote, approved exceeding the state’s EPS formula by $498,118.
South Bristol will hold a validation vote on the school budget March 27. The polls will be open at the school facility from 2-6 p.m.
In other school related articles voters approved spending $7729 to support the school’s food service program and appropriated $113,333 for adult education, including $3045 for the local share.
In other budget articles, voters approved raising and appropriating $148,575 for the town’s administration including $74,275 for salaries, $48,300 for expenses, $19,200 for building and equipment maintenance, and $6800 for the planning board.
Voters approved raising and appropriating $91,710 for protection including $45,000 for the fire department maintenance and payroll, $12,200 for lights and power and $29,810 for insurance.
Other votes approved transferring $113,796 from surplus for sanitation and took $270,000 from the $10.4 million Stratton Earnings Dividend Account to reduce the tax commitment and replenish the South Bristol scholarship fund, the Stratton Award, by $30,000.
Voters also authorized a $203,500 highways budget, raising and appropriating $38,000, taking $165,5000 from surplus, and carrying forward a balance of $84,512.64.
From the floor voters nominated and elected Tamara Poland-Kaler to a five-year term on the town’s budget committee.
In municipal voting from the previous day, Ken Lincoln was reelected to another three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, Assessors and Overseers of the Poor. Tim Dinsmore was reelected and Tenley Seiders was elected to the Board of Education, both for three-year terms. All three candidates were unopposed. Vote totals were not announced.
Damariscotta resident and veteran moderator Jim Gallagher moderated. Ken Maguire, who traditionally performed the duties, was supplanted this year due to his having filed a notice of claim against Lincoln and the town following a public confrontation with Lincoln at a special town meeting in 2011.
