’Port budget heads to Town Meeting

Kennebunkport’s Budget Board on April 1 approved all 42 budget-related articles that will appear on the June 12 Town Meeting warrant. The vote follows unanimous approval March 25 by selectmen.

Many of the articles were approved without discussion because the budget board had chances to ask questions at a previous meeting.

Only a few changes were made to the $6.3 million budget, including $4,000 added for a new town tax auditing firm and eliminating $6,000 for the Shore Line Trolley. Both changes were approved by selectmen.

The final budget is nearly $492,000 more than the current budget. Town Manager Larry Mead attribute the increase to more capital spending and anticipated legal costs associated with the Goose Rocks Beach lawsuit.

The Town Meeting warrant has 52 articles. The first 10 are not related to the budget. The sample warrant includes seven questions related to town ordinances.

Kennebunkport’s polls will be open at Village Fire Station, Tuesday, June 8, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for residents to vote on seven questions and one article. The Town Meeting will be Saturday, June 12, at 9 a.m. at Consolidated School.

Towns schedule school budget votes

Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel  RSU 21 unveiled its budget timeline during Monday’s meeting.

Directors at the RSU 21 school board meeting were asked to sign approval of warrant articles so administration can deliver official warrants for the town meeting-style budget vote.

Kennebunk selectmen will vote April 22 whether to approve the budget, followed by Arundel selectmen on April 26 and Kennebunkport selectmen on April 27. All three boards of selectmen must approve the budget because it affects taxes of its towns’ residents.

The proposed $35.1 million budget would mean an increase in taxes to Kennebunk and Arundel. For every $100,000 in assessed value, Arundel residents will pay $98 more annually and Kennebunk will pay $24 more in taxes. Kennebunkport will pay $1.85 less in school taxes per $100,000 of assessed property value.

A meeting on the budget will be May 4  at Kennebunk High School, followed by a May 18 referendum vote.

If the referendum vote is in favor of the proposed budget, the $35.1 million budget will go into effect July 1.

– Compiled by Suzanne Hodgson