BANGOR, Maine — Got a beef with the Bangor City Council’s proposed budget cuts or changes? Mark June 2 on the calendar.
The city has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. that Wednesday at the James F. Doughty School for the public to weigh in on the 2010-11 municipal budget process.
Next week’s meeting will be the only chance for the public to have a say in municipal budget decisions before councilors approve the final budget by the end of June.
The City Council has directed interim City Manager Bob Farrar to produce a $44.5 million budget to keep the municipal tax rate flat at $9.28 per $1,000 of property valuation. The Bangor School Committee and the City Council both approved the 2010-11 school budget earlier this week, which increases the school share of the tax rate from $8.70 to $8.77 per $1,000 of property valuation.
If the City Council keeps its pledge, it would be the second consecutive year in which municipal property taxes have remained level, something that has been a goal of City Council Chairman Richard Stone.
Because the city faces a projected $1.3 million loss in revenue from 2010, or about 5 percent over the previous year, the same amount needs to be reduced from the expenditure side.
Most of the loss represents a reduction in municipal revenue sharing from the state, but Bangor also will lose automobile excise tax and interest income. Additionally, the city is expected to lose roughly $14 million in assessed property value, which will further decrease the amount of tax revenue.
Earlier this year, councilors proposed 10 percent across-the-board cuts in the city’s public works and fire departments, which would save more than $800,000, but that is not included in Farrar’s proposed budget.
Fire Chief Jeff Cammack had said the $459,000 reduction to his department could close Station 5 and eliminate the dozen or so firefighters who call the station home. The $329,000 cut from public works also would likely involve layoffs.
Those two departments will have their own budget workshop tonight.
Other proposed changes include:
• Eliminating the equivalent of 7½ city staff positions, which are all vacant.
• Decreasing overtime budgets for the police, fire and public works department by more than $100,000.
• Eliminating the appropriation of $100,000 to the Commission on Cultural Development.
• Increasing BAT bus fares; eliminating the Saturday service of the BAT bus Mall Hopper route; eliminating BAT service on six minor holidays.
• Increasing parking ticket fees; boosting fees at municipal pools; assessing credit card fees for City Hall customers.
• Cutting more than $30,000 from the Bangor Public Library.
• Using $150,000 from the city’s arena fund to pay down debts owed by Bass Park.
Farrar received new program requests from various departments totaling $375,000, all of which were denied. Capital requests totaled $6.6 million, but only $2.9 million worth were included in the budget proposal.
“I think the budget proposed attempts to maintain current services and programs available to citizens within the ability of citizens to pay,” Farrar said. “But there are still a number of things up in the air.”