Council approves bond issue for capital improvements;
overall 2008 budget decision slated for May 14
The Town Council on May 7 approved a $2.4 million bond issue, an increase
in fees for building permits, and a series of budgets that will finance special
funds including the Spurwink Church, Riverside Cemetery and the Thomas Jordan
Trust for 2007-2008
Final approval of the town's proposed $29.2 million municipal budget will
wait until a special meeting March 14.
The council took public comment on all budgets, the bond and the building-permit
fees at their meeting May 7.
Each of the seven citizens who spoke addressed the general fund budget, which
includes $18.8 million for school expenses, up 3 percent over this year's.
The proposed budget carries with it a 1.86 percent overall increase in property
taxes, 30 cents over the current rate of $16.16 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
The overall municipal budget proposal, including town, school, Community
Services and the town's share in the Cumberland County assessment, is up
$824,741 over this year's budget, an increase of 2.9 percent.
The proposed budget of $8.5 million for town services is up 2.47 percent
over this years, and complies with state legislation enacted for property
tax relief.
Mary Ann Lynch, the town councilor who chaired the council's Finance Committee,
said the LD 1 budget limit could be overridden by majority vote of the council.
The proposed 3-percent increase in school spending was a compromise reached
between councilors who pledged to keep budget increases to a rate no higher
than the consumer price index; and others who favored a higher school budget
increase posed by school administrators and the School Board.
In 2004, six of seven members of the Town Council made a three-year
pledge to keep the town's spending increases to no more than the consumer
price index, which current figures put at 2.8 percent. Three of those members,
Anne Swift-Kayata, David Backer and Lynch, are still on the council. During
budget workshops this spring, other members of the council favored school
budget increases closer to the 3.2 percent ultimately proposed by the School
Board.
By a 4-3 vote, councilors agreed to set the 3-percent school budget increase
for public hearing.
"I urge the council to at least unanimously adopt the 3-percent compromise,"
said Jewett Road resident Geoff Hindall, whose sentiments represented most
of those who spoke. He also echoed the sentiments of others in urging the
council not to renew their spending-cap pledge. Drawing from experience as
a prosecutor, he said the pledge was the opposite of one jurors take not
to make a judgment before all the evidence is heard.
"It's a pledge to decide the issue in advance, before you've heard all the
evidence and before both parties have had an opportunity to be heard," he
said.
Abaco Drive resident Cynthia Garfield said she also looked forward to "being
released from the shackles of the spending cap," adding that it does not
allow enough flexibility for the public to make a difference in the budget
process.
Dwight Ely, representing teachers in the Cape Elizabeth School Department,
presented what he called "A call by teachers and staff for the renewal of
a commitment to excellence in Cape's schools." He said he was presenting
the message for the teachers who were not at the hearing because "frankly,
they heard last year that it didn't make a difference."
Pointing to Cape Elizabeth's vision to be one of the top public school systems
in the United States, Ely said the goal cannot be achieved if the focus is
on spending caps rather than needs.
"We believe our goal is to be a blue-ribbon school, not a blue-light special,"
Ely said. First-choice candidates for teaching positions are already turning
down offers from Cape Elizabeth in favor of other communities, he said.
Another citizen, Jana Zimmerman of Oakhurst Road, said MEA scores in neighboring
communities are outpacing those of Cape Elizabeth and making those communities
more desirable. "I hope you'll definitely support the 3.0 (percent increase),
but I'd like you to consider all the things that have been left out of the
budget and the cumulative effect of that on our children's needs of today,
tomorrow, and when my child graduates from High School," she said.
Last to speak was a citizen who said the discussion of Cape's budget will
be meaningless if the community fails to address the potential effects of
statewide school consolidation. "We're talking about substantive school
consolidation, not just administrative," said Cranbrook Drive resident David
Hillman. That is far more scary than 3.0; 3.2 or 3.4, because we won't have
a say in that anymore," he said.
Hillman suggested a citizen task force be formed to try and influence what
will happen in Augusta.
The bond issue approved by the council for next spring is expected to fund
various capital needs. These include improvements to the Town Center such
as a traffic light at the High School entrance, site improvements to the
Shore/Ocean House/Scott Dyer Road intersection, and various sidewalk and
drainage improvements ($1,250,000); capital projects including improvements
to the Spurwink Meeting House, public works equipment and fencing at Hannaford
Field ($660,000); safety and security items for the schools ($150,000); school
classroom furniture ($186,000); and, school building repairs and equipment
($125,200).
The increase in building-permit fees, from .7 percent of project value to
1 percent, is expected to help fund needed improvements in the Town Center.
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