Oxford Proposed Budget Carries 1 Mill Increase

Oxford Selectmen Wednesday unanimously approved a $14,032,709 town operations budget for 2012 – 2013.

The budget carries an increase of $651,993, or 4.87 percent, over this year’s spending.

The budget will now go to the Board of Finance, along with the $26,798,247 request passed by the Board of Education last week. The finance board would then have to send a proposal for town and school spending to a town meeting by May 7.

After the Selectmen’s meeting Wednesday, the town’s finance director, James Hliva, said if the budgets passed as they are, the town’s current mill rate, 23.21, would increase about 1 mill, or about 4 percent.

That increase will likely be trimmed by the town’s finance board.

The biggest parts of the overall increase in town spending — nearly 70 percent — are for capital outlays and debt principal.

That’s because Selectmen on Wednesday also unanimously approved a five-year, $40,318,103 capital improvement which will go to a town meeting Monday (March 12).

The part of that money to be spent during the next fiscal year — if the budget were to pass as-is — includes about $1.8 million to repair town roads and $1 million to replace the roof at Quaker Farms School.

Also included is $200,000 for a playscape” — Temple said that number would eventually go down because of private donations — and $150,000 to renovate the town’s dog pound, which he said is long overdue.”

The plan also includes an ambulance, at $165,000, a fire tanker, at $230,000, two plow trucks for public works totaling about $282,000.

FILE PHOTOSelectman David McKane said that the budget reflected many hours of meetings and debate, and that while he wasn’t crazy” about everything, overall it wasn’t too bad.

Though he said Selectmen could probably have reduced the budget proposal a little more, I’m sure the Board of Finance will do that for us.”

Temple agreed. Nobody expects the Board of Finance to say Great job, guys.’”

Selectman Jeff Haney said board members did what we had to do” in crafting the budget and capital plan.

I feel comfortable … that we’re making the right decisions,” he said.

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