Ogunquit News
Despite differences, fiscal 2008 budget moving forward for April ballot vote
By Melissa Wood
OGUNQUIT - Although some major differences between the Budget Review Committee and the Board of Selectmen's recommendations could not be resolved, selectmen have finalized the budget for the April ballot.The total amount that will be on the warrant adds up to $8,488,526, an estimate that includes school and county expenses, according to Acting Town Manager Loring DeAgazio.
DeAgazio said the largest increases in expenses compared to last year appears in two items in the debt management line, with the new debt schedule for the transfer station costing $275,000 and last year's refinancing of debt from 2002 costing $250,000. He said the appearance of these items creates a bubble of expenses that normally would not be so high.
"So next year we won't have those to worry about anymore," said DeAgazio.
The total municipal budget is actually about $13,000 lower than last year, coming in around $3,581,000 as compared to $3,595,000 in fiscal 2007.
DeAgazio said that decrease in the municipal spending is caused by the elimination of one patrolman from the Ogunquit Police Department and the use of a greater amount from the surplus account, making up the difference from the two debt items.
However, the amount of surplus is also the biggest difference between the Board of Selectmen's proposed budget and the Budget Review Committee's recommendations, according to Frank Broomfield of the Budget Review Committee. Although the selectmen's final recommendation proposes using $566,000 of the $1.6 million surplus, the Budget Review Committee had recommended using $400,000.
Selectmen and Budget Review Committee members also disagree in their recommendations for the Police Department's budget, which is $45,496 higher than what the Budget Review Committee suggested. The money will go toward a higher level of visitors' services and to keep the reception window open more hours at the police station.
Additionally, the budget includes $18,250 in planning services from the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission that the Budget Review Committee had recommended against, and $4,000 less in the human services budget for charitable contributions than the Budget Review Committee had asked for.
The public can learn more about the budget and planning warrant articles at an informational meeting scheduled for March 6 at the Dunaway Center, which will be attended by members of the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board and Budget Review Committee.
At the meeting, the boards will discuss the budget differences and present all warrant articles that will be on the April ballot.
"They will be discussed thoroughly," Broomfield said.
