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Readfield Select Board previews FY27 municipal budget, flags roughly 8% municipal increase
Summary
Town Manager Eric told the Readfield Select Board on Jan. 12 that the draft FY27 municipal budget shows an estimated 8% increase on the municipal side driven primarily by wage adjustments and higher service and materials costs; he said the school (RSU) budget is expected near 5.3% and county numbers remain uncertain.
Readfield — Town Manager Eric told the select board the draft FY27 municipal budget projects about an 8% increase for the municipal portion of the tax bill, driven mainly by wage adjustments, higher costs for services and materials, and a range of contract pressures.
"Overall we're looking at about 8%," Eric said during the Jan. 12 meeting, urging the board to view the figure as a working estimate while county and school numbers remain pending. He told members the RSU (regional school unit) is expected to present a budget increase near 5.3% if state funding remains stable.
Why it matters: board members said the net tax impact will depend on county and school decisions but noted that increases in wages, ambulance and dispatch charges, and disposal contracts are concentrated drivers. Eric said wages are a major factor: a recent wage study underpins what he described as roughly a 7.5% average first-year increase for town positions, with variability by job class.
Key details from the manager and treasurer:
- The town has seen stronger-than-expected receipts this winter, with real-estate, motor-vehicle and transfer-station revenues up year-to-date, which partly offsets expense increases. Treasurer's reports show accounts balanced through December.
- Dispatch and ambulance costs are rising; Eric said a two-year dispatch increase added $25,000 last year and another $25,000 this year.
- Solid-waste disposal costs at EcoMain are cited as increasing roughly 15–20%, and the manager said EcoMain has offered multi-year rate options that could lock in higher rates; the town is monitoring an incoming EPR (extended producer responsibility) program that could provide some revenue but with uncertain timing and scale.
- Capital reserves and transfers are being adjusted: Eric proposed, and the board approved, modest increases to road reserves and other capital lines after the capital planning meeting.
Context and next steps: Eric said the budget committee has completed its first departmental reviews and will review the next set of departments on Jan. 21; the board will continue to refine revenues and expense estimates as county and school figures arrive. He said the draft mil-rate calculation anticipates a decline in the published mill rate owing to valuation changes but that out-of-pocket costs for many taxpayers will rise because of the combined effect of school and county increases.
The board did not take a final vote on the budget; members and staff will return with updated numbers as additional information becomes available.
