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City attorney outlines how charter limits budget increases and how council can amend the budget
Summary
City Attorney Marty Eisenstein told the Lewiston council the charter ties the municipal tax‑levy increase to the CPI (3.3%) but said the council may exceed that cap with a five‑member affirmative vote; he also explained the school budget referral and referendum steps under state law.
Marty Eisenstein, the city attorney, told the Lewiston City Council that charter section 6.07(g) and related Maine statutes constrain the municipal tax levy and set a 3.3% ceiling tied to the CPI for the Northeast region. "The tax levy can be no greater than 3.3% of last year's budget," Eisenstein said, and he explained the council can waive that limit only by an affirmative vote of five councilors.
Eisenstein walked the council through the amendment process, saying the charter allows the council to "add or increase programs or amounts and may delete or decrease any programs or amounts except expenditures required by law or for debt…
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