Nobleboro residents will vote on education and municipal budgets at a March 19 open town meeting, but despite increases in both, the town’s selectmen don’t anticipate an increase in property taxes.
At a March 9 board of selectmen’s meeting, Chair Dick Spear said, “We’ve got funding that’s helped out different areas so tax rates should not change.”
The school in particular received more state funding than anticipated. Selectman Richard Powell Jr. credited the Mills administration with being the first to try to fulfill the state’s obligation to fund 55% of education costs.
“We’ve got more money from Augusta which offsets our increases,” he said.
Nobleboro’s municipal election of town officials is from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, March 18, at the town office. The open town meeting to vote on the proposed budget and additional warrant articles will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Nobleboro Central School. Registration will begin at 9:15 a.m.
Absentee ballots for the election are available for pick up at the town office from noon to 4:30 p.m. March 16, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 17, and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 18. All absentee ballots must be returned prior to polls closing.
Municipal budget
The proposed municipal budget totals $1,203,519 or $1,208,558, depending on whether voters approve the selectmen’s recommendations to lower appropriations for outside agencies by a total of $5,039.
The recommended reduction in appropriations includes eliminating funding for Coastal Kids, limiting Spectrum Generations to $1,346 of a $2,285 request, and reducing funds that support the Skidompha Library from $20,000 to $16,400.
Coastal Kids provides “inclusive, developmentally appropriate education for preschool children of all incomes and abilities,” according to its website. Spectrum Generations is “a leading provider of information, advice, referrals, programs and activities for adults,” according to its website.
If approved, the budget will increase over last year by either $69,280 or 6.12% or $74,319 or 6.55% depending on how voters respond to the recommended appropriations.
The requested donation to the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service rose from $28,655 to $74,238, a $45,583 or 159.08% increase. The necessity for competitive wages and benefits for paramedics and emergency medical technicians is a driving factor in the increase. Towns in Lincoln County have seen recent increases up to and exceeding 1,000% for ambulance service.
Fire department operations are $147,515, flat to last year. An appropriation of $30,000 to fund the fire truck capital account, established in 2021 to save for future vehicle needs, is also on the warrant. A new fire truck costs in excess of $550,000.
Other budget categories are as follows: Administration totals $380,931, down $5,572 or 1.48%; protection and health, which includes the fire department and ambulance service budgets, totals $315,140, up $25,102 or 8.65%; adult education, which was not funded in the prior year has a requested local share of $6,185.06; roads and highways total $475,687, up $36,421 or 8.29%; outside agencies, including Skidompha Library total $25,546 to $30,616, which ranges from down $4,030 or 13.63% to up $1,040 or 3.52%.
Warrant articles
Article 9 asks voters to appropriate $25,546 of a requested $30,615 to help fund outside agencies $5,039.
The town’s budget committee and selectmen recommended a reduction of $5,039 in appropriations including eliminating $500 in funding for Coastal Kids, limiting Spectrum Generations to $1,346 of a $2,285 request, and reducing funds that support the Skidompha Library from $20,000 to $16,400.
Coastal Kids provides “inclusive, developmentally appropriate education for preschool children of all incomes and abilities,” according to its website. Spectrum Generations’ website describes the organization as “a leading provider of information, advice, referrals, programs and activities for adults.”
Article 15 on the warrant asks residents to appropriate $174,684 in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward a list of projects to include conference room and town office technology upgrades, conference room and town office renovations, broadband, COVID-19 essential workers pay for fire department and town office employees, installation of an electronic sign at the town office, and road building, maintenance and repairs.
The list represents projects chosen by the Nobleboro Board of Selectmen based on input from town staff and residents.
Article 16 asks residents to allow the select board to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement covering the future governance of CLC Ambulance. Nobleboro is one of the service’s six founding towns and has a voice in how it is funded. Copies of the interlocal agreement will be available at the town meeting for review.
Article 34 asks residents to appropriate a total of $726,000 to reduce the 2022 tax rate. The appropriated funds include $320,000 from excise taxes, $370,000 from undesignated surplus, and $36,000 from local road assistance.
Education budget
The education budget totals $4,239,948.86, a $320,714.15 or 8.18% increase from last year.
The required local contribution of $2,354,360 is $187,903.33 or 8.67% higher than the previous year, but the additional local appropriation is significantly lower at $1,080,720.41, a decrease of $169,923.50 or 13.59%.
The decrease is driven by a $300,000 beginning fund balance and what the town’s selectmen called a higher than expected state subsidy of $504,868.45, up $324,038.32 or 179.19% from the prior year.
Budget categories are as follows: Regular instruction is $2,165,615 up $132,550.77 or 6.52%; special education instruction totals $834,717.65, up $98,330.31 or 13.35%; career and technical education is $200, flat to last year; other instruction is $44,780.91, up $160 or 0.36%; student and staff support is $237,493.25, up $14,947.75 or 6.72%; system administration is $107,728.00, up $15,668.77 or 17.02%; school administration is $222,427.82, up $29,174.47 or 15.10%; transportation and buses total $337,000, up $7,255.10 or 2.20%; facilities and maintenance total $285,986.23, up $22,626.98 or 8.59%; all other expenditures total $4,000, flat to last year.
Election
Current Selectman Jon Chadwick is seeking a second three-year term as selectman, assessor, overseer of the poor, and fish committee member. Chadwick is running unopposed, but Nate House announced his bid to be a write-in candidate in a news release.
Robert “Bobby” Whear is the sole nominee on the ballot for another two-year term on the board of trustees for the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District.
There are no candidates for two three-year terms on the Nobleboro School Committee. Current chair Angela White and committee member Shawna Kurr are not seeking reelection. The positions will be filled based on write-in candidates, according to Town Clerk Susan Pinnetti-Isabel.
