ROCKLAND, Maine — City administrators met Monday with school officials but were not able to agree on any budget cuts.
School officials were invited to attend Wednesday night’s Rockland City Council meeting as the council continues its budget deliberations.
“The discussion was cordial, as everyone in the room understand the pressures facing the city right now, yet we were not able to construct ‘lower budget options,’” City Manager James Chaousis said in a prepared statement issued after the meeting.
The C ity Council had voted May 11 to direct the manager to contact school officials and to urge residents to attend the 6 p.m. Thursday district-wide budget meeting to be held at the Oceanside High School East auditorium and work for “appropriate meaningful” cuts.
Attending the Monday meeting were school board Chairman Steve Roberts, Vice Chairman Loren Andrews, Superintendent John McDonald and Business Manager Peter Orne, according to Chaousis.
“The resounding theme of the conversation circled around the budget issues as a symptom of greater economic and social issues that are plaguing the district and the city. Without addressing those issues, the school leaders and city administrative leaders were not able to get to mechanical budget reform,” Chaousis said.
The city manager said because it is a City Council meeting on Wednesday that has been properly advertised, the entire school board will not be able to participate because that would make it a school board meeting and notice has not been made, he said.
The $25.9 million budget sent on to voters by the board two weeks ago is down 5 percent but would require an additional $1.2 million in property taxes from Rockland.
Roberts said the meeting was a congenial one. He said he looks forward to the Wednesday night meeting where the public can hear the points by all parties. Andrews said it was a great meeting where each party understood the others positions and that he is glad it will be extended to the full council.