Belfast council adopts FY 2024–25 budget, approves compost pilot and community grants

Belfast, Maine — At its July 16 meeting the Belfast City Council unanimously approved the city’s FY 2024–25 budget and a package of community measures that included a one-year community composting pilot, a $20,000 commitment to a local youth organization, and multiple grant acceptances.

Budget: City manager Erin Herbig presented the proposed budget and described the drivers of this year’s increase: statutory obligations to RSU 71 and Waldo County and rising operational costs. Herbig told the council the two outside entities together increased the city’s required payments by approximately $1,039,612; councilors also noted a hydrant-related expense line of roughly $548,200. After discussion about priorities and transparency, the council voted to approve the budget (motion passed 5–0). Councilors said the approval meets the charter timing requirement to adopt the budget before the end of July.

Community composting pilot: The council approved a one-year pilot to accept food-waste drop-offs at the Belfast Transfer Station in partnership with Scrap Dogs Compost. Corliss Davis of the Community Composting Collaborative and Davis Saltonstall of Scrap Dogs described a ‘‘blended model’’ in which residents can subscribe (roughly $18 per month) or use a free drop-off option; the first-year contract cap for city services was cited at about $1,400. Council authorized the city manager to sign a service agreement subject to final city-attorney review (motion passed 5–0).

Gameloft support and other grants: Council approved a $20,000 award from the Keep the Faith Fund to support Gameloft, a local nonprofit youth organization that said it is in temporary financial hardship. The council also authorized submission of a grant application to Efficiency Maine for a new VRF heat-pump HVAC system at the library (and, if awarded, authorized up to $101,000 from the Energy Savings Capital Reserve as a city match), and accepted a Project Canopy Assistance grant for street-tree planting with a local match up to $10,000; all motions passed unanimously.

Other routine items: Council authorized joining the Maine Municipal Association Workers Compensation Safety Incentive Program at Tier 3 (to pursue a potential insurance credit), accepted small donations to public safety and recreation accounts, and waived dockage fees for the Atlantic Challenge event this weekend. All votes recorded in the public transcript were unanimous.

What happens next: The composting pilot will be implemented as a one-year trial with ongoing evaluation; the library grant will proceed only if Efficiency Maine awards the rebate and the trustees are prepared to commit matching funds. The Gameloft aid is intended to encourage additional community support, the council said.

Details to watch: The budget will be followed by a revaluation that will determine the mill rate; councilors noted there is more work to be done on communications and implementation details for the programs voted on Tuesday.