FARMINGTON – Selectmen and the budget committee began the review process of a 2009 budget draft this week that proposes spending a total of $4,398,598, which is, overall, a less than 1 percent increase over the current budget.
Besides the always expected increase in the cost of fuel oil and road sand and salt, other increases include an increase of nearly $30,000 in the fire hydrant rental rate. The Farmington Village Corp., a non-profit, quasi-municipal organization which provides water for more than 1,500 local businesses and residences in Farmington, Temple and a small part of Wilton, increased the rate to meet its costs.
In 2008, Farmington budgeted $227,000 for public fire protection. The rate increase of $29,415 represents a 12.96 percent increase totaling $256,415 a year. The last increase was in 2006.
Maine Rural Water Association’s Steve Levy, who audits Farmington Village Corp. to help determine what rates should be set at, said last fall that the town’s allotment of the corporation’s gross annual revenue was set by law.
“Invariably what happens,” said Levy, who works with similar utility systems across the state, “for most mid- and small-sized towns’ fire protection is that there is a cap of 30 percent, even though the formula curve sets Farmington at 46 percent.”
The logic behind the high percentage, Levy noted, was that fire protection requires water systems to be far more robust than they would typically need to be to just provide drinking water.
Another $29,000 increase in the next budget is sought after the town took over the care and ownership of the Riverside and Fairview cemeteries. As such, those employed to care for the cemetery grounds have wage increases coming to them because they are now town employees. Also part of the increase is a storage shed’s roof that needs replacing for $2,000, said Town Manager Richard Davis. The town annually pitched in $30,000 for cemeteries, which offsets the proposed budget total of $59,000.
Small decreases are proposed throughout the budget, including the Fire Rescue Department, Parks and Recreation Department and the Community Center building’s expenses. Also, a 20 percent drop in Farmington’s cost share for the Sandy River Recycling Association, is decreased from $19,214 to $15,261.
Municipal officials will continue to review and debate the budget, as they have every year.
“We still need to pare it down some more,” Davis said.
