Town manager says tax rate projection close to last year; outlines capital priorities and equipment needs

Town manager Jim told the Lisbon Falls Town Council that revised revenue estimates and account adjustments have brought the municipal tax rate forecast to within about $0.07 of last year's rate, roughly $70,000 in dollars, and that staff will continue refining numbers before the final budget. "Based on the work that you did last night, Mark has projected about $78,000 more in revenues that's coming in," Jim said, adding that those increases, together with an adjusted overlay, have narrowed the projected change.

Jim outlined a prioritized capital plan grouped in increments of roughly $250,000 so councilors can consider packages at different funding levels. He singled out several items for near-term consideration: purchasing a used sidewalk snowblower as a one-year trial (an initial $45,000 used-unit estimate), delaying a planned fleet replacement of a fire truck until FY2027 or FY2028, and pursuing grant opportunities for firefighter SCBAs and ballistic vests. "The SCBAs are a $320,000 item," Jim said. "I'm only recommending a $74,000 appropriation as priority 1 and we'll look for grant funding for the rest."

Councilors pressed Jim on the paving and road-maintenance lines after he noted prior estimates may understate current market costs. One councilor observed that $50,000 for paving would likely cover only limited crack-sealing and urged a larger, strategic investment in overlays to extend pavement life. Jim said older estimates put the list at about $485,000 but that real costs could approach $725,000 depending on petroleum-related price pressure.

On operational details, Jim recommended increasing a special revenue transfer by $75,000 and reported a proposed overlay figure of $206,411 contingent on final valuation adjustments. He also proposed a $75,000 placeholder for redesign and operational improvements at the transfer station to reduce labor intensity and long-term tip-fee exposure.

The council did not finalize capital decisions at the workshop; members asked staff for additional documentation before the next session. Jim said the council would reconvene on Monday to focus on capital and remaining departmental items. "This is helpful in kind of doing some research ahead of time before we come into that conversation and start making those choices," the chair said.