The Edgecomb Board of Selectmen signed the official town warrant May 5, officially presenting a proposed town budget of $3,573,865 to the voters. The total is just a 0.28 percent increase over last year.
Voters will act on the 50-article town warrant during Edgecomb’s annual town meeting Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m.
The school’s budget of $2,480,215 comes in just under last year’s budgeted amount and represents 69.4 percent of the town’s total budget.
Edgecomb Budget Committee Chairman Nort Fowler said all departments did an exceptional job at keeping the numbers to last year’s levels.
“There are some things we just can’t control,” Fowler said.
Cunningham Road easement
Edgecomb residents will also be asked to approve the purchase of an easement on Cunningham Road.
In November 2013 selectmen reached an agreement with landowner Jay Sibley to purchase an easement on his property on Cunningham Road for $10,000. The purchase of the easement will allow the town to make adjustments to the property to improve visibility at the intersection of Mill and Cunningham roads.
The safety issue at this intersection was identified as part of Edgecomb’s Road Improvement Plan. The purchase of the easement will be funded with the road reconstruction and paving loan.
Selectman Jack Sarmanian said once the town approves the purchase of the easement, the project will proceed.
“We are ready to go,” Sarmanian said.
Tax collecting and billing software
Selectman agreed to ask voters at town meeting to appropriate $4,500 for Article 12, tax collecting and billing software. The warrant was printed without a dollar figure because the estimates for the software were not available at the time the town reports were printed.
The $4,500 figure includes $3,700 for TRIO software, $280 for software training, and $440 for the printing and addressing of the tax bills.
Town reports
Sarmanian announced the annual town reports were completed on May 1 and were mailed out to residents on May 2. Edgecomb residents should have now received the town report, Sarmanian said.
“We wanted residents to get the report as soon as possible,” Sarmanian said.
Sarmanian recognized the efforts and hard work of the board’s secretary, Jennifer Elkins, and Peg Richards at the Edgecomb post office in helping to get the town reports ready and mailed quickly.
“It was very gracious work,” Sarmanian said.
