Brownville budget strategy: Ask residents to prioritize
1/19/10 | 4 comments
budget

Brownville budget strategy: Ask residents to prioritize


By Diana Bowley
BDN Staff

BROWNVILLE, Maine — Town officials are trying an innovative way to determine the importance of municipal services to residents as revenues continue to shrink and the demands on limited property tax dollars increase.

With a $70,000 revenue loss last year, which is expected to be matched this year, town officials have asked residents to tell them whether they want taxes to increase in order to keep municipal services at the status quo, or, if they want taxes reduced, what should go.

If the services remain as is, a resident whose taxable house value is $80,000 would see an increase of $104.80 to fund the shortfall.

“What the board really wants to know is: Given the fact we’ve got a $70,000 shortfall, do people want to keep our services the same and eat the difference in the tax bill — meaning your tax bill will go up — or do you want the board to work really hard to bring a draft budget back to town meeting that has service cuts in it that will keep your tax bill, at least for the municipal side, with no increase?” Town Manager Sophia Wilson told more than 100 residents at a public hearing last Wednesday.

At the meeting, residents were handed surveys to complete allowing them to indicate their priorities for municipal services, from the library to the purchase of trophies for recreation programs to the Police Department.

Since the town already supports the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department, one resident suggested that the county be asked to fill a police shift or two to reduce local costs.

If the Sheriff’s Department provides coverage, the town will end up paying more, Wilson said.

“Trust me, I watched very closely when Milo looked at the possibility of contracting with the sheriff,” she said. “We put an officer on the street and pay for the vehicles at a fraction of the price that the county can do it.”

While the Sheriff’s Department responds to emergencies when needed, Wilson said, it has been clear that it would not station someone in the Brownville area.

Another resident suggested that Brownville and Milo combine forces as they have done in the past.

“Milo and Brownville get along great and when we get along, it’s wonderful, and when we don’t, it’s horrible,” Wilson replied. “We are a great family. When we talk about putting structures together, the biggest issue that we stumble over is who is going to be responsible, who is going to be in charge and how are we going to equitably pay for it.”

The only way it would work, she said, is if one of the towns eliminated its police force and contracted with the other.

Discussions also were held on the possibility of eliminating recreation programs and the maintenance of fire lanes in Brownville Junction, the implementation of a pay-per-bag fee for household garbage, reducing streetlights and reducing staffing levels in the town office.

The feedback from the survey will help selectmen gain a better understanding of the community’s priorities and desires before a draft budget is prepared, Wilson said.

She said the board will “carefully consider survey responses and comments from residents and weigh them along with existing laws, contractual obligations and standards of operation in making recommendations to be considered by voters” at the March town meeting.

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Comments
4 comments on this item
On 1/19/10 at 1:52 AM, wanttodogood wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Train the Puplic Works Department to run radar traps, speed traps, hide behind trees, and drive around allday. Thus freeing up the Police Department to do what?

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On 1/19/10 at 3:50 AM, bumpinroad wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

hang on to your hats municipal employees because you know who is going to take the hit. $8.75 per month for the example they put out is not a big tax increase. don't punish your friends and neighbors who work for the municpality. let the councilors or selectmen take a hit instead. for what little time they invest and chances are most already have a steady job. they should be working to better their community anyway, call it civic duty. or better yet hit the administrative costs associated with the education department. chances are your superintendant gets thousands per year and a slight decrease in his salary would absorb the costs. the office staff is usually the brains behind everything anyway, leave them alone, he is just a figurehead you keep sinking your money into. the teachers could go a few days longer into the summer (it won't hurt them a bit) and close the school a few days in the coldest part of the season. worse comes to worse, reshuffle the municipal staff hours and close the buildings down with a lowered thermostat one day a month or week, the cost savings would be substantial.

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On 1/19/10 at 9:58 AM, SilverEagle wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

How about Town Manager takeing a 25% pay cut, and cut down the town Hall office hours to three days per week. Petition to remove town manager then hire assistant to the selectmen and keep police force. And before a pay for bag trash system first provide the alternative of being able to at least have a place to take house hold trash locally by ones self. Actually the clerk is doing the work and the Manager is just getting fat on throwing her weight arround. The services are few but the plow drivers and public works department are not to fault for funding decrease. Bring to meeting all the Towns bills owed and then the residence can see that it is not the man driveing the plow truck nor the water dept nor the police crew that are takeing the money.

In fact its the learning process that allowed the town manager to threaten with things like Taxes,liens,and service drops as a way to enrich her powers that has put the town on the down side. Audit the reciepts both incomeing and out going. Use your right to know law and ask for all the paper work as to where the money is truely short.

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On 1/19/10 at 8:58 PM, MaineSlate wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Dear Folks of Brownville,

As a taxpayer and a future business owner in your town, I have a few comments about the statements presented above.

My first concerns your town manager Sophia Wilson. Though I know it is a matter of public record, I have no idea of her salary. And it does not matter. To even propose that she take a 25% cut in pay in order that the town budget is balanced is one of the most absurd comments I have yet to read. To replace her with a select person or delegate only means you have an under qualified and underpaid town manager. Your current town manager is one of the most dynamic,resourceful, and solid individuals I have yet to meet. She believes in her town and county wholeheartedly, and works diligently for the people of Brownville. To lose her would be a blow to both Brownville and the county.

As for the appropriations of monies relevant to the town budget, perhaps one should take a trip and visit the town office to understand where the monies are going and how they will be appropriated in the future. Of course this will be published for all to view within the next few weeks if not sooner.

The police force in any small town such as Brownville is always the first to take a hit at budget crunch time. Yes even I have to be careful of the radar traps in and around town. But what if they were not there? Can you imagine the tourists racing through your town and the toll it would take?

The DPW in Brownville is one of the most understaffed, under budgeted, and under paid in the state. A poster above suggested that they be the ones to man the radar guns in lieu of the police force. So now you have DPW doing police work for which they have not been trained. As well as their own workload get's pushed into a smaller time frame. I cannot understand the thought process there.

In closing I have to say that as townspeople of Brownville, you are blessed. You live in a tight knit community within which you have many close neighbors and are lucky to have a real voice within your town government. You are the last of the true Americans. The rest of our noble country envies you. Times are tough for all of us. Support those who work so hard for your safety and well being. It's only a matter of time before we as a group have the opportunity to reap the rewards of your diligence and fortitude.

If a property tax increase is what is needed to support our town in these trying times, then I am all for it.

David Bradley

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