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Bangor council reviews budget, estimates $17.75 tax rate and asks schools to cut $165,000
Summary
At a May 28 council workshop, City Manager Deb Lohrey presented a revised budget that reduces the estimated tax rate to $17.75 per $1,000; the council voted to ask the school department to reduce its appropriation by $165,000. The proposal includes $53,200 to convert four library greeter positions from ARPA funding to the city operating budget.
At a May 28 Bangor City Council workshop, City Manager Deb Lohrey told councilors the city is now estimating a tax rate of $17.75 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from the earlier estimate of $18.55, and that the change would translate to about a $59 average increase per residential homeowner, or roughly 3.9% for the year.
Lohrey said updated market data and council-directed reductions had reduced the potential increase from the roughly $319 average (7.8%) estimated in early April. “I think the fact that we were able to, in essence, cut the potential increase in half, over the last 2 months, speaks well to the process that we've undertaken,” she said.
The council discussed a motion made at an earlier meeting to ask the school department to make a $165,000 reduction in its budget. The city manager confirmed the motion was carried by a majority; the superintendent was notified and “thanked me for reaching out and letting her know,” Lohrey said, but she added there was “no indication that they would agree to it.” The council did not record a roll-call vote in the workshop transcript; mover and seconder were not specified.
Councilors also reviewed line items for the Bangor Public Library. Lohrey said her proposed budget includes $53,200 to cover four part-time “greeter” positions previously funded with ARPA grant money. Ben, the librarian, described the greeters as four part-time employees paid close to minimum wage whose duties include responding to conduct and providing a visible presence in the library atrium. He said coverage runs roughly 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (until summer hours begin); individual greeters work varying hours, from about 10–20 hours per week.
Ben said the greeters perform different duties than a proposed social worker position; the social worker’s role is outreach and connection to agencies such as the PATH team and HOME team. The social worker was previously funded through ARPA and “is more likely to be connecting with people… so when somebody comes into the atrium and is, nobody's seen them for a week… she's able to make those connections happen,” Ben said. He said the social worker is a separate position and that the city hopes to propose folding that position into the regular budget next year.
Councilor Dean asked about a downtown development staff position whose salary change had been discussed earlier; Lohrey said the city continues to contribute $43,000 and that the remainder is paid from the Downtown Development District's TIF assessment.
Lohrey reminded councilors the charter requires the city manager’s proposed budget to appear at the first reading; if the council fails to enact a budget, the manager’s proposal becomes the default. She said the typical process is for the council to substitute amended figures at the second meeting in June.
No formal budget adoption occurred at the workshop; the discussion was preparatory to council orders and the June meetings.
