FARMINGTON – Despite a few pleas to keep spending down, nearly 100 voters increased spending for road construction and the library’s allocation at the annual town meeting Monday night.
In a 150 minutes of discussion, voters approved a municipal budget totaling $5.3 million, which represents a 4.5 percent increase over last year’s spending.
Voters added $83,000 more than the budget committee’s and selectmen’s recommendation of $150,000 to repair roads this summer and fully funded the public library’s request of $146,666, which was $2,895 more than the budget committee recommended and $8,000 more than selectmen advised.
Residents easily passed a new Fire and Life-Safety Ordinance, but a proposed Building Permit Ordinance, which sought to establish a new permitting system for residential and commercial projects nearly unanimously failed to pass.
Much discussion centered on the Public Works Department budget which proposed to increase its operations by $200,000 from $1.05 million to $1.24 million in order to add two year round full-time staff positions to replace two seasonal positions. Those full-time positions were cut in 2006, but since then the department has struggled to keep up with challenging weather events and the implementation of a five-year road plan that has strained the department.
To help offset the increase, selectmen and the budget committee recommended cutting this summer’s schedule of work to rebuild roads as part of the five-year plan from $233,000 to $150,000. Town officials had originally proposed raising $233,000 and matching it with $158,000 in state-administered Local Road Assistance Program funds to go toward the third year of the plan.
Proposed projects this summer include paving Temple Road from Town Farm Road to the MDOT compact line in an area known as Clay Hill, which is estimated to cost $65,860. Morrison Hill Road is due for a one inch overlay to finish the rebuilding work there last summer. Work on upper Bailey Hill Road to the New Sharon town line is estimated at $74,000.
Porter Hill Road is in need of a total rebuild. The originally proposed $233,000 allocation was expected to pay for about half the two-mile length of the road this summer.
At the meeting, a motion was made to amend the amount to the previous proposal of $233,000. Resident Willard Hatch followed that up by adding another $100,000 to total $333,000, explaining he lived on Porter Hill Road and wanted the entire road rebuilt sooner.
Selectman Joshua Bell explained the board’s recommendation was an attempt to offset increases “so the property taxes increase wouldn’t be so much.”
But Selectman Michael Fogg argued to fund the full recommendation of $233,000. “The biggest complaint I get is the condition of the roads,” he said, adding, “we should stay with the plan we set out to do.”
Resident Sally Speich asked if the additional $100,000 would finish the road’s repair.
Highway Department director, Denis Castonguay said the additional funding would allow the work to go further, but wouldn’t complete the entire length of the road.
Residents voted down the $333,000 amended amount, but approved $233,000 towards road repair.
Later, a few residents spoke in favor of granting the library’s full request for $146,666. Library trustee Liz Fuller-Wright noted most towns provide all of the funding for their library, but in Farmington taxpayers pay about half the operational costs, with the library raising the rest. Voters easily approved the library’s requested amount of $146,666.
At various points, a few residents stood to ask that costs be kept down. Pete Tracy noted that in 1989 the town’s budget totaled $2 million and this year it totals $5.3 million, “that’s a 260 percent increase.” Using forestry terminology, he said the increase was “unsustainable. During the last two years, my property taxes went up by 11 percent each year. I’m beginning to think I won’t be able to retire. I don’t have a solution, but these increases are unsustainable.”
Resident Nancy Porter noted, “nobody’s cutting; we can’t continue to increase the taxes.” She added she might not be able to pay all of her taxes this year.
In response to a question from resident Elaine Graham about the proposed increases of the budget, Town Manager Richard Davis said a rough estimate of the increase in the tax rate is 50 cents, which would change the current rate of $17.32 per $1,000 worth of property to $17.82 per $1,000, or an increase of $50 on $100,000 worth of property.
Voters approved the new Fire and Life-Safety Ordinance to establish codes for Farmington Fire Rescue personnel to oversee local fire and life-safety inspections instead of the state Fire Marshal’s Office. The inspections apply to commercial developments and large, multi-unit residences.
Not approved was a proposed Building Permit Ordinance, which sought to establish a system of permits for residential and commercial projects. “This shall include new residential, and commercial construction, expansions/additions, relocations, installation of manufactured housing, demolition of structures, conversion of single-family or duplex structures to multi-family structures and the conversion of residential structures to commercial structures,” according to the proposed draft. The goal was to improve the town’s ability to track and record new construction, town officials previously said.
The meeting’s moderator, Paul Mills stepped aside from his duties with John Moore serving as moderator, to argue against passing the building permit ordinance. He said as written, the ordinance was flawed in that it required a permit for every building project and assigned stiff penalties for those not in compliance with the filing system.
Resident Jon Bubier agreed and said of the proposed ordinance, “you can’t do anything on your property without a permit; it’s hindering growth. The fees are unfair.”
Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said the proposed ordinance was intended to improve the town’s record-keeping, “not a specter of over-reaching government,” he said. “From what I’ve heard, people don’t mind the tracking system we have.”
In uncontested elections held earlier in the day, Matthew Smith was elected with 45 votes to a three-year selectman term formerly held by Ryan Morgan, who decided not to run again. Iris Silverstein received 41 votes for another three-year term on the Mt. Blue Regional School District board.
Instead of complaining about ever-increasing taxes, it would be useful if the complainers would actually provide a solution. What do they recommend be done to cut expenses? What services are currently provided by the town that we no longer need? Whose jobs should be cut and whose wages reduced?
Now, that’s a great idea Lefty. Unfortunately, there isn’t always a good solution to a problem. Sometimes, you, as a community have to learn to do without just like we all do at home. I’m sure that all the proposals that we have to make decisions on are well worth our community having… However, we just don’t have the money to pay for all of them. Some are just going to have to be tabled. Some may never get voted through, but raising taxes in a community that is struggling to keep food on the table , clothes on our backs and pay our taxes is not the answer. We may not like it, but there is an old adage that says …we should cut our coat to fit our cloth.
well said Beth… I just can’t believe taxes are going up again.. Wow!!!! I hope the voters realize that soc sec only went up 1.7%…. Lots of the working class received no raises at all….time to stop spending folks….
Just a little correction of Pete Tracy’s math. The article quotes him as saying that the town’s current budget of $5.3 million is a “260% increase” over 1989’s budget of $2 million. Actually it’s a 165% increase ($3.3 million increase over a $2 million base amount). Still a big increase, but not quite as draconian as Pete suggested.
For the complainers, where were you last night? I sat and watched the “give-aways” make sure all the budget article passed with full funding.
Problem? There was absolutely no opposition. None. Zero. So, the Town gets its money, and next year we get another increase in our taxes. I don’t have the slightest idea how I’m going to cover the increase. In fact, I struggled to absorb the increase of the past two years. With next year’s increase, my taxes will have jumped $500+/- in 4 years. Heck of a pill to swallow on pretty much fixed income.
Our biggest problem in Farmington is the amount of tax exempt property. Practically the whole of Main St past the post office is tax exempt on one side; and on the other there are 3 tax paying properties, plus FSB.
Academy is all tax exempt. From Academy to South – Tax exempt on one side with 2 properties on the other paying taxes. And NO! It’s not all UMF.
I’m all for shutting off the street lights. Every single one of them. That’ll save us $72,000. I’m all for assessing a use tax to non-profits for a share of the hydrant rental that’s over $260,000. But NO! The town can’t do that. So the tax payers go with out so others can have carte blanc. I’m over it.
Check the town report. There’s over $700,000 due from 2014 taxes. If the taxes go up, how much more do you suppose will be late? Keep choking the tax payers. Soon you’ll have none to choke.
Beth & Sammy: I repeat – what services exactly would cut? Until you have a plan, you’re just complaining. Or if you really feel so strongly about rising taxes, get yourself elected to the Board of Selectmen or join the Budget Committee (it’s short of members). If you don’t like the way it’s going and you don’t do something about it, it’s as much your fault as anyone’s.
John, you are correct. I stand corrected and embarrassed. Has the population increased by 165%? Has our taxable property base increased by 165%? I don’t know, but these answers can be found. The rate of increase has sped up just in the last 2 years. The last 2 years my taxes have gone up 11% each year; same home, no improvements. I wish I had some answers, but maybe we can start a discussion.
John I don’t know if you are right you are right or wrong with Pete’s math it wasn’t one of my best subjects in school ALL I know that again my tax’s just went up over another $100.00 a year for the last 2-4 years; this is killing us. Oh and yes we did get our 1.7% raise in our wages.
I don’t like the property tax increase either but what about state wide revenue sharing? Wasn’t the idea of that to offset the livability of rural towns. It will only get worse if sales tax goes up and the homestead exemption get cut. I would like to hear more solutions and less unproductive complaints. Living on a tight budget seems to be the only solution as more than half of the town lives under the poverty level. Farmington is a great community but it is nothing without public services and we have to remember that even non profits employ people so they can pay taxes. And, lets note that 1989 was almost 20 years ago, minimum wage was more than half what it is today and the dollar was worth twice as much, we need real paying jobs and all kinds of employment. How about if we appropriate a business model and cut pay based on performance, cap spending on individual projects, apply for more state and federal grants if a budget restriction blocks the potential for a service or project. How about if we adopt a volunteer service program, stipend pay to serve your community. How about if we started a GA fund for people having trouble paying taxes, sure would beat an over priced unused triangle. We could bottle water and sell it. How about if we tried to pull together instead of apart, I know its pie in the sky but someone has to say it.
There were 50 people at town meeting and no I was not one for them I have gone before and they listen to the people who want and can afford to the increases of taxes, if someone complains they tend to move on to others. How about going after the people that owe back taxes. Farmington people are getting older every year and CANOT afford the increases. And to apply for a permit to add something on your property is this a control thing or does someone not want to do the job.
Pete, a 165% increase over 26 years equates to slightly more than a 3.8% increase per year. Sounds like the past two years have been outliers for you and perhaps for many residents. I own property in Industry but am not a legal resident of Industry (or Farmington), so I cannot vote in Industry. Taxation without representation, I believe.
There are tons of opportunity to volunteer in this town. Get out and sweep the streets. Volunteer to clean up a garden, rake an intersection spot, pick up trash. Rake up leaves in the fall in a park, clean out a catch basin near your house, sweep a sidewalk nearby. Cut back some bushes near an intersection to increase visibility (if they’re your bushes)
But no one wants to do this kind of thing. They call the Highway Dept EXPECTING the guys to do the work because after all “its their job”.
I heard what Pete said at the town meeting and In Pete’s defense he did say it both ways at the meeting as a 260% increase, and a budget 2.6 times the 1989 budget. The budget is 260% (or 2.6 times) of the 1989 budget but the increase as John mentioned is 165% budget over budget. Semantics – but this is a good lesson on how the government or (the media) can use numbers to either make it look good or not so bad or really bad depending on the desired outcome.
And John while 3.8% doesn’t sound bad on the surface of a year over year budget, I will bet that household incomes, the economy and the value of money in general lagged far behind that number. That being said, spending on the roads is a situation that needs to be addressed. Lance Harvell had it right the costs of doing it may be lower now so let’s do what we can while asphalt is cheaper.
Yeah sorry I’m hung up on the math too here. Did you account for inflation Pete? $2,000,000 in 1989 is the same as $3,785,838.71 in 2015. This means the increase over 26 years has been 89.29% (3.43% per year)
check it out: http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=2000000&year1=1989&year2=2015
I didn’t mean to turn this into a math class but I think it’s instructive. Thanks, CPI, for the info. That means if $2,000,000 in 1989 dollars equates to $3,785,000 in 2015 dollars (per the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ measurement), the CPI has increased on average slightly less than 2.5% per year over that time [$2,000,000 compounded at 2.5% per year for 26 years = $3,800,585]. The town’s budget has increased on average slightly more than 3.8% per year over that time, or at a rate significantly greater than the rate of increase of the CPI.
I’m not going to turn it into a math equation. Our property taxes have gone up about $300.00 in two years. Prior to that, things didn’t change much. Maybe we have been under taxed. Thank God you don’t live in the next town over.