ROCKLAND, Maine — The city manager is developing a series of budget scenarios that would eliminate or cut back departments including the recreation center and library.
The manager is developing three plans — one if $300,000 were cut from his submitted 2015-16 budget, another if $600,000 in cuts were enacted, and one with $1 million in reductions. The plans were requested by the City Council, which began deliberating the proposed spending package this week.
City Manager James Chaousis submitted last week an $11.4 million budget, up from the current $10.9 million.
The manager said under the $300,000 in cuts, the recreation department would be closed, the in-house lawyer would be cut, and hours at the library would be reduced.
He said if $600,000 in cuts had to be made, additional staff cuts would have to be made and would include not filling the fire chief’s position. Chaousis has not completed work on the $1 million in cuts. He said whether any of these cuts would be adopted would rest with the City Council.
Rockland Mayor Frank Isganitis said he has not seen any specific proposals yet and declined to comment on them or the possibility of eliminating the recreation department.
The discussion of the various budget scenarios was prompted by an email submitted by Councilor Larry Pritchett. He pointed out that the proposed budget represented the largest increase that he can remember. Business Manager Tom Luttrell said it was the largest increase in eight years.
This increase coincides with a projected $1.5 million increase in local funds that will have to be paid to Regional School Unit 13.
Pritchett said the council would like to see what those levels of cuts would mean and then decide whether they are acceptable. He said Rockland is paying on the high end for what service centers across the state pay for services.
Isganitis said during Monday’s initial budget review meeting that the city has been holding off on public improvement projects for years and that it can no longer kick the can down the road.
“The day of reckoning is here,” he said.
The recreation department’s proposed budget for 2015-16 is $371,000. The library budget is proposed at $564,000.
Last year, the City Council restored money for the library to retain its hours after the public turned out to fill the council chambers in support of the department.
Chaousis warned councilors Monday night that such cuts being developed would be politically unpalatable.