NEW SWEDEN, Maine — Residents here this week passed a nearly $1 million school budget, approved a roughly $435,000 municipal budget and elected Stephen Boody for a three year term as selectman.
Boody won with 99 votes, while one resident wrote in Larry Audet for the position and four ballots were left blank.
Melanie Lagasse won a three year term on the school committee with 81 votes. Sarah Anderson received 12 votes for that post, while Carl Anderson, Michael Stotler, and Nancy Hudak each received one, and eight ballots were left blank.
Voters also passed a $986,903 school budget, $209,120 higher than last year’s budget of $777,783.41. The local allocation for the school budget, however, is $282,897 or $10,000 less than last year. The state’s subsidy for education this year is $313,806. The town also chose to use $390,000 from the school’s fund balance to go toward expenses.
Residents authorized an approximate $10,000 increase in the municipal budget from last year, with this year’s total municipal appropriations being roughly $435,000 and last year’s being about $423,000. While many budget items remained the same, in terms of funding, as last year, there were increases in general government, school building maintenance, and salaries and personnel costs.
Even though New Sweden residents voted to close their school last year, taxpayers are still responsible for maintaining the facility as it is owned by the town and used for some local events, such as annual town meetings.
The town will set the mill rate in September.
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- Town of New Sweden (Christopher Bouchard)
