Rangeley holds public hearing on town budget; select board to finalize warrant April 7

The Rangeley Select Board opened a public hearing March 17 to take input on the town’s draft budget and warned residents the board will finalize the warrant at its April 7 meeting.

Town official Joe walked the audience through major changes in the draft: general government administration up $14,927; finance up about $41,003 (largely a new CPA engagement and staff compensation); town office building expenses up about $30,004 (projector/TV replacements, janitorial increases); and the Police Department budget projected to increase by $232,494 year‑over‑year, reflecting wages, benefits and overtime tied to staffing changes and the move to 24/7 coverage. "Police department is probably the most significant…there's a total increase $232,494 that's wages benefits, overtime," Joe said.

Other line items cited by staff include a $49,000 increase in the ambulance/EMS contract shared among NorthStar member towns, a $24,635 increase in Public Works (contract wages/benefits), sewer projections up $38,061, and solid waste up $39,427 partly because of a contractual 5% annual tipping and transport increase. Capital reserves were proposed to be increased by $50,000 to begin funding a multi‑year transfer station overhaul; officials said engineering will be done first and a larger construction expense (discussed as up to $1 million in a later year) would follow.

Joe said the draft reflected recommendations from the budget committee and adjustments by the Select Board; those bodies matched on the overall total though they differed on some line items. He noted the budget posted online earlier in the day was a draft and that the board will finalize its warrant recommendations on April 7. "April 7 is getting close to the cutoff to get the warrant ready…the board could leave a comment period open where folks can email comments," he said.

Several residents urged more and earlier public engagement during the multi‑month process. One resident urged the budget committee to reconvene to review recent changes, noting the committee had already met and submitted recommendations that the board later adjusted. Residents also asked about specific capital items, including a proposed new gazebo at Town Park, boat‑dock work at the town ramp, and whether Haley Pond Park would receive maintenance funding (officials said maintenance is in parks and recreation operations but no capital projects for Haley Pond were planned this year).

Why it matters: the draft budget contains multiple department increases that, together with estimated county and school figures, raise the town’s overall levy outlook; officials estimated an $800,000 increase when including recommended estimates for school and county obligations (the town has not yet plugged final school and county figures into the warrant). The Select Board will meet April 7 to finalize warrant articles and recommended RV‑1 figures; the statutory town meeting hearing occurs closer to the annual town meeting in May.

Next steps and public information: the board will review and likely finalize the warrant at its April 7 meeting; town staff said residents may email comments before that meeting and that the draft documents were uploaded to the town website on the day of the hearing. The budget committee and Select Board recommended some line‑item adjustments; residents requested another budget committee review before finalization.