CAMDEN, Maine — A draft budget unveiled by the town manager calls for a spending hike of 10 percent.
Town Manager Patricia Finnigan stressed, however, that the 2015-2016 budget is not a proposed or recommended budget but instead includes items that are meant to generate discussion by municipal leaders on what the town’s priorities should be.
“Usually, by the time the budget is presented to the Budget Committee, we have scrutinized it, scrubbed it and made the cuts. This year, however, I included some costs and projects that normally would have been cut before the budget went to the Budget Committee. My intent was to give the Budget Committee an opportunity to have a discussion about priorities and their expectations for the community,” Finnigan stated in her budget message.
The draft budget totals $7,445,000, up 10 percent, or $696,000, from the current budget. Finnigan presented it to the budget committee two weeks ago.
Half the increase is due to work on roads, storm drains, improvements to the Village Green, pilings along the waterfront, a police cruiser, public works equipment and equipment for the parks department.
“The capital improvements are investments in our future and the community’s quality of life,” Finnigan stated in her budget memo.
The town maintains 38 miles of road, 12 miles of sidewalks, more than 15 parks, the harbor and the public landing.
The budget calls for adding one position to the public works department. Finnigan said the department has had the same number of positions for the past 20 years while the duties have increased. Other added positions in the draft budget include a part-time firefighter, a part-time code enforcement officer and a part-time administrative assistant for the Opera House. Raises of 3 percent are budgeted for town employees.
The general government budget is the largest in the municipal spending package, topping $1.7 million. The public works budget comes in at nearly $1.5 million, the police department at $1 million, fire department at $411,000 and the library at $395,000.
The Select Board will review the budget after the Budget Committee before it goes to a town meeting vote on June 10.