JAY – Residents will be able to cast their votes on the school and municipal budget Tuesday, with polls opening at 8 a.m. at the Community Center. Livermore and Livermore Falls residents will also vote on the school budget confirmation, a new elevator at the high school and a renovation of the school bleachers.
The town meeting will begin with the contested election of a selectperson. Two candidates are running for the three-year first selectperson term, incumbent Pearl Cook and challenger Terry Bergeron. Incumbent second selectperson, Stephen McCourt is running unopposed, as is RSU 73 director Michael Morrell. George Merrill is running for another term on the Jay Village District board and Roger Couture for the North Jay Water District.
The proposed municipal budget is $5,638,877, an increase of $92,657 increase in total expenses, or 1.67 percent.
Proposed cuts from the $5.6 million municipal budget include one less position in both the Jay Police Department and Highway Department, with another half position to be transferred from the Highway Department to the Transfer Station budget.
Proposed increases include energy costs, negotiated 1 percent raises for some contracted employees and increased insurance costs. The budget also includes funds for department reserve accounts, something town officials cut out of most department budgets last year due to uncertainty relating to the request by the Verso Paper Corporation for an abatement.
A new, $50,000 line item is also included under professional services titled “Valuation Reserve,” with those funds to go toward the town’s expenses relating to Verso’s request. Last year, voters authorized the selectboard to appropriate $300,000 out of the undesignated fund account to pay for legal expenses and an industrial revaluation of the property.
Voters in all three Spruce Mountain school district towns will be asked to either confirm or reject the $18.65 million budget set by attendees of the district-wide meeting on April 7. The budget total is $240,000 less when compared to the current fiscal year’s budget of $18.89 million, representing an overall decrease of 1.3 percent.
Much of the decrease is realized in the Regular Instruction cost center, down from nearly $8 million in the current budget to $7,793,064. Six teachers are expected to retire, with five confirmed thus far, Superintendent Kenneth J. Healey explained. Money will be saved when those positions will be filled by personnel coming in lower on the pay scale. If not all six retire, he said there will be a reduction in staff to make up the difference.
A ‘yes’ vote will pass the budget. A ‘no’ vote would initiate another district-wide budget meeting.
Voters will also be asked if they wish to approve expending $275,000 for construction of an elevator at the high school and another $108,000 to replace bleachers at Griffin Field on the south campus.
Currently, the high school uses a handicap accessible lift that is difficult for a wheelchair to maneuver in and out of and requires assistance. The elevator was originally proposed for the larger expansion plan that included a new classroom wing, but was cut when the renovation project was scaled back.
The bleacher planks need to be replaced and the metal supporting structure has been found to be weakening. The school board is recommending replacing the bleachers entirely. New bleachers will hold 858 home fans and 350 visitors.
The old estimate came in at $108,000 to replace the bleachers, but a new estimate totals $157,000. Since the $108,000 total was already written into the warrant article, an amended increase can’t be made to meet the latest estimate. Administrators said that if the $108,000 is approved, the district will look into a lease purchase agreement to possibly make up the rest.
I’m confused about the bleachers.
Why would we spend money on bleachers at the south campus that no longer exists. RSU 73 is getting rid of the school buildings and hence the locker rooms, etc. Let’s move the game fields up to the SMHS fields where Jay played their games for 50+ years. If we have to spend a little of the bleacher money on drainage at the Jay fields and we come out way ahead.
And further more, the cost of the bleachers has already risen from 108K to 157K. And where is this extra money coming from. I say vote NO. A yes vote means we agree to 108 and the schools will spend 157. Money does not grow on trees.
I agree with Sally. Move all activities to the Jay fields . I already voted absentee against everything on the school budget as it is way to much money for the amount of children being educated. With the mill getting their valuation lowered, the school budget should have been reduced also. I fear when the tax rate is set, we are all going to get a big surprise this year.