04/02/2019 - updated 04/09/2019

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Leasing options, possible parking-fee revenue reduce town tax-rate proposal for 2020

Projected revenues from parking fees at Fort Williams Park, along with reduced expenditures for equipment, has brought the proposed tax-rate increase for non-school services down to 2.5 percent for fiscal 2019-20.

Town Manager Matthew Sturgis issued a revised message and pro forma summary for the 2019-20 municipal budget proposal on April 2, 2019. (updated 04/09/2019) The revisions, based on workshop consensus of the Finance Committee, propose a town budget of $13.38 million, down $245,660 from the $13.63 million requested for non-school services in early March.

The reduction primarily reflects a lease rather than purchase of a front-end loader and rotary mower for Public Works, Sturgis said in a telephone interview.

Possible revenues of $300,000 from a proposed pay/display parking-fee system at Fort Williams Park further reduces the amount forecast to be raised by taxes. As of April 9, the proposed tax increase for non-school services is 11 cents, down from 42 cents (9.8 percent) proposed in March.

The Town Council will hold a public hearing Monday, May 6, on combined school and town budgets for 2019-20; and, at the same meeting, a hearing on the parking-fee proposal for Fort Williams Park [news article]. Votes on the budget and on the parking fees are scheduled for May 13.

The School Board is slated to vote on a proposed $26.89 budget April 4 [news article], and will present that budget to the Finance Committee, a committee of the whole Town Council, on April 24.

The townwide school-budget validation referendum will be June 11.