WEST BATH
Voters breezed through Tuesday night’s annual Town Meeting in West Bath, approving a $4.39 million budget with all budget lines passing unamended.
Approximately 50 residents gathered at the West Bath School, and selectman David Bourget was elected as moderator.
Of the town’s $4,396,979 budget, the municipal appropriation is $1.03 million, 23 percent of the budget. This isa6percentdecreasefrom the previous year’s budget of $1,099,190. County taxes are approximately $625,000, 14 percent of the total. This represents a decrease of approximately $3,121 from the previous year as the town’s valuation has dropped. The local education share is $2.73 million, more than 62 percent of the budget and a $60,779 increase, or 2.3 percent, over last year according to an RSU 1 report.
The tax rate, if the budget was passed unamended, would be $10.35 per $1,000 of assessed value, said selectmen Paula Nelson. Last year’s tax rate was $10.15, but that was owing to an appropriation from the reserve account which decreased the rate, Nelson said.
Articles that drew some discussion were concerning the town’s legal budget line and harbor master stipend.
Article 33 on the warrant sought to appropriate up to $10,000 for unanticipated legal fund and litigation fund expenses for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
“Is that enough?” asked a resident identified as Steve.
“We hope so,” said Jonathan Davis, West Bath’s town administrator, noting that 74 percent of the town’s legal expenditures went toward an ongoing lawsuit with Regional School Unit 1.
“We don’t know the destiny of that lawsuit yet,” said Davis. “There was a motion for summary judgment that we’re waiting to hear from the courts in Bath about.”
During the 2013-14 fiscal year, the town’s legal appropriation totaled $101,500 after voters approved an additional $40,000 for that budget line at a March special town meeting. According to a May 16 report from Davis, the town’s total legal expenditure to date was $81,312, of which $60,080 went to RSU 1 lawsuit expenses, $20,875 to town attorney legal expenses and $357 was categorized as miscellaneous. The current legal fund remaining was $20,187, the report stated.
Davis said while the lawsuit was ongoing, there would be a degree of uncertainty in forecasting the town’s legal expenses, but that Article 33 provided the town an opportunity to continue the lawsuit with room for unexpected expenses.
“If we weren’t involved in the RSU 1 lawsuit, we’d be within our normal range of spending,” said Davis, adding that the town is currently involved in four other lawsuits.
A question was also raised regarding articles 37 through 40, all which sought appropriations from the Boat Excise/Mooring Fee/Marine Resources Joint Revenue Account. From that account appropriations were recommended for $2,750 for the harbor master’s stipend and reimbursements, $14,351 for the shellfish warden salary and expenses, $1,000 for the purchase of conservation nets and clam seed, and $1,930 for expenses relating to the town boat.
“How much money do we bring in toward the mooring account … to offset such expenditure,” said a resident identified as Bruce.
“A prospective revenue of about $16,485 — more than what is being asked for,” said Davis.
A voter noted that the total of the four articles exceeded the revenues, but Nelson said the town would still be accruing revenues for the current fiscal year until June 30. The articles passed unamended for the recommended amounts.
Only one article was amended from the floor, to be tabled indefinitely.
Voters passed an amendment to Article 20, to see if the town would vote to increase the property tax levy if the budget approved at Town Meeting resulted in a tax commitment that outstripped the current limit of $531,208.
A resident identified as Justin asked how close the budget brought the town to the limit.
“We’re still significantly under it,” said Davis, and the article, which would have required a vote by written ballot, was tabled.
rgargiulo@timesrecord.com
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
