By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

A $20.3 million school district operating budget, a new police cruiser and a change to the town’s tax incremental finance, or TIF district, will be among the proposals discussed at the upcoming Town and School District Meetings.

School District Meeting is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, at Pembroke Academy. Town Meeting is the following Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m. at PA.

School District Meeting
With no big bond proposals on the table, school officials are describing this as a maintenance year.

“It’s a pretty quiet year,” said Pembroke School Board Chairman Clint Hanson.

SAU 53 Superintendent Thomas Haley agreed.

“Clearly this year is very much about maintenance,” he said. “We’re trying to maintain the programs we have in place.”

The school board and budget committee have agreed to present a $20.3 million operating budget, which reflects a 4.9 percent increase in expenditures and appropriations over the current budget.

“We tried, basically, to keep it within the cost of living,” said Hanson. The rising cost of fuel oil and the third and final year of the teachers contract are reflected in the budget, and no new positions have been added.

Haley said several teaching positions – including an “at risk” instructor for struggling high school students – were requested, but were ultimately trimmed throughout the budgeting process.

Aside from the operating budget, school officials are asking to use $85,000 from the school building capital reserve fund for repairs and replacements of Pembroke Academy roofs. The expenditure wouldn’t require new taxation.

In the event that 2006 ends with surplus school district funds, school officials are asking to place the unanticipated money into a number of already established accounts, including the school building fund and the special education trust fund.

Town Meeting
While the biggest money article on this year’s town warrants is the $6.3 million proposed operating budget, a change to the town’s TIF district could have the biggest impact on taxpayers.

Article 3 asks voters if they support allocating 40 percent more money generated from the TIF district – which includes the Associated Grocers distribution center – into the general fund.

The change could mean less money in the future for infrastructure development of the commercial district, but officials estimate it could reduce the municipal tax rate by about nine cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, said Town Administrator Troy Brown.

Officials are also asking approval for the purchase of three new vehicles by withdrawing from capital reserve funds – a $130,000 front-end loader, a $110,000 six-wheel dump truck, and a $25,016 replacement police cruiser.

Article 19 asks voters whether to give selectmen authority to buy and sell land. Currently, land acquisition and acceptance falls solely under the auspices of Town Meeting.

Selectmen and the budget committee have agreed to propose a $6.35 million operating budget, which would mark an increase of 4.1 percent, or $250,000 over last year’s budget.

“It’s a pretty lean budget,” said Brown. “Most of (the increases), it’s safe to say, come from items we can’t control the cost of.” A 7 percent increase in wage expenses, and higher anticipated costs for electricity, vehicle fuels, heat and building maintenance account for much of the overall increase.