Buckfield manager proposes roughly 8.9% municipal spending increase as revenue sharing drops

Town Manager (presenter) outlined a draft 2025 municipal budget proposal that would raise municipal spending by about 8.9 percent, driven by pay adjustments for public safety, higher transfer-station costs and ongoing road and facility work. The manager said state municipal revenue sharing is projected to fall by roughly $100,000, a shortfall that increases pressure on the town’s tax rate.

The manager told the Select Board that the town had kept its budget flat in recent years despite rising regional costs but that maintaining essential services has become increasingly difficult amid inflation and higher vendor charges. “If we left everything exactly the same, we’re already $100,000 in the hole from the loss,” the Town Manager said, describing the municipal revenue-sharing formula as partly population- and valuation-based and thus volatile.

Nut graf: The draft seeks to balance rising costs and service needs by proposing modest cost-of-living adjustments for most municipal staff (2.5 percent) while recommending larger, targeted increases for fire, rescue and code enforcement to address recruitment and safety needs. Proposed increases also reflect higher disposal fees at the transfer station and capital needs for public buildings and road projects; the manager recommended using fund balance to smooth the tax impact.

The proposal calls for specific line-item changes: an increase in the general government budget to reflect retirement contribution changes, modest library and administrative cost increases, and larger rises in the public safety and waste-management budgets tied to wages and disposal fees. The manager said municipal revenue (other than taxes) is projected to rise modestly — for example, interest and registration income — but not enough to offset the revenue-sharing decline.

According to the presentation, using a $200,000 appropriation from fund balance would reduce the estimated mill rate from a rough projection in the high 15s to about $15.00 (figures presented as estimates). The manager cautioned that final mill-rate estimates depend chiefly on the school and county budget outcomes and on finalized revenue-sharing numbers from the state.

Select Board members and several attendees asked clarifying questions about items that most affect the mill rate — the school and county figures, transfers from reserve accounts, and the extent to which the proposed wage adjustments are permanent. The manager said the draft will be discussed again at the select board meeting on the 11th and that residents can attend the RSU annual budget meeting in Rumford on May 28, where residents may register and vote on the school budget before the town’s final vote.

Ending: The manager said the draft will be revised as the town receives final state revenue-sharing numbers and as the select board and public provide input. The budget materials and recordings of the workshop will be posted on the town website and the Select Board will hold a follow-up workshop on Saturday at 9 a.m.