Public Expresses Disappointment With Budget Cuts

About 75 people attended a public hearing on the proposed town and school budgets Monday night at Quaker Farms School.

Several residents discussed their disappointment at certain items being taken out of the budget, such as a $100,000 cut from the proposed Board of Education plan, a new pumper truck for the Riverside Fire Co., a vehicle for the Department of Public Works, a fourth paid position for the Oxford Ambulance Association and funding for a new playscape for children.

Board of Finance members, however, defended their budget proposal and said they must think of the will of all Oxford taxpayers. As it stands now, the proposed $27 million school budget, $14.5 million municipal budget and $1.88 million capital and non-recurring budgets would bring the mill rate up .78 points to 24.88 mills. That means someone with a house assessed at $200,000 would see a property tax increase of $156 a year, to $4,976, while someone whose house is assessed at $300,000 would pay $234 more a year, or $7,464, if the current budget is adopted. Click here for a full budget breakdown.

The Board of Finance will meet again at 6:30 tonight, Tuesday, April 23, at Town Hall to discuss the comments made at Monday’s hearing. The board may make adjustments based upon those comments.

A town meeting will be held on the proposed budgets at Quaker Farms School on Monday, May 6, at which time the public will have an opportunity to make motions to cut the budget. Then it will be adjourned to a referendum to be held on Tuesday, May 14, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Quaker Farms School.

Editor’s Note: Oxford Patch plans to bring you more from the public hearing later today, including the arguments made by members of the audience and the Board of Finance. We hope to post this by noon today.

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