South Bristol residents approved every article, including a $1.63 million education budget and $712,472 town budget, during a two-hour annual town meeting March 12.
South Bristol will spend about the same amount on education in 2013-14 as it will this year. The budget totals $1,631,782, a decrease of $5010 or 0.31 percent.
The town might save more if the Maine Legislature rejects Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to shift the state share of teacher retirement, 2.65 percent of payroll, to towns. The South Bristol education budget includes $16,187 for this potential expense.
Residents had to approve amendments to the education articles as the Department of Education submitted revised figures after the town had posted the warrant.
When asked for an explanation, AOS 93 Superintendent Steve Bailey told residents that the additional monies would not be spent for any other purpose. If the state did not adopt the governor’s budget proposal, the money would be carried forward into the next school budget, Bailey said.
Among the education articles, one of the biggest points of discussion concerned the last warrant article; one of the smallest items on the budget.
Article 41 asked if the town would appropriate $117,365 for adult education, of which $3197 would be the local share.
Pointing out all the town was asked to appropriate for adult education was $3197, budget committee member Chuck Plummer successfully motioned an amendment, rewording the article to ask if the town would raise $3197 for adult education with $3197 as the local share.
The motion kicked off the closest thing to a tense debate in the otherwise placid proceedings before the reworded article was approved.
School officials said the original article language was recommended by the state Department of Education.
Moderator Jim Gallagher allowed the motion to amendment to proceed, saying there was nothing in Maine Moderator’s Manual that expressly forbids the change. Gallagher cautioned the town that rewording the article may have unforeseen circumstances in the future.
“However, if you do this you may gut your ability to fund adult education,” Gallagher said, “I think you may need to come back and re-vote this item in the future.”
By a 26-2 written ballot vote, voters agreed to raise and appropriate $44,021 in additional local funds, exceeding the state Essential Programs and Services model by $421,541.
The town budget totals $712,472, an increase of $32,117 or 4.72 percent. The increase largely stems from changes to the Bristol-South Bristol Transfer Station budget.
Town officials have said the station budget will likely remain steady in the years ahead after a management change and a significant decrease last year followed by a bigger increase this year.
All of the other budget items passed with little debate.
The South Bristol Board of Selectmen has said it expects to maintain a county-low mil rate of $3.
The mil rate determines the property tax per $1000 of town-assessed value. For example, someone who owns property in South Bristol with a town-assessed value of $100,000 would receive a $300 tax bill.
An increase could place the county-low distinction in jeopardy as Southport has lowered its mil rate to $3.055.
The county tax also figures into the mil rate, and towns have yet to receive those figures.
Also at town meeting, residents re-elected Brian Farrin to a five-year term on the South Bristol Budget Committee.
In local polling earlier in the day, voters elected Linda Smith town treasurer and tax collector with 42 and 43 votes respectively. Annette Farrin and Bruce Farrin were both reelected to the school committee with 46 votes and 42 votes respectively. Selectman Chris Plummer was reelected to another three-year term with 44 votes.
