PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City councilors were pleased with the outcome of the 2024 city budget after a brief meeting at City Hall on Thursday.
Presque Isle City Councilors voted 5-0 to approve the budget, which totals $18.2 million, including $10.2 million in revenue and $8 million in spending.
“We aren’t expecting to send a higher tax bill based on this budget when we mail [the tax bill] out mid-year,” said City Councilor Craig Green. “Our economy in Presque Isle is doing well, our new businesses that are coming are doing well and we don’t want to discourage any of that.”
Net municipal appropriations were increased by 2.59 percent over last year’s $7.8 million which was lower than the rate of inflation at 3.2 percent, according to Interim Town Manager Lewis Cousins.
When city councilors left the previous meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the mill rate was up by two points. However, the current mill rate for the 2024 budget was reduced and is now set at 23.12, a 0.52 increase from 2023.
“When we look at it again when we do the tax commitments there’s going to be evaluation increases, new businesses, and new growth,” said Finance Director Brad Turner. “Easily we could wipe out that 0.52 during tax commitment.”
The Department heads met on the morning of Dec. 7 at City Hall to find more savings in the city’s budget before it reached the city councilors for approval.
Budget adjustments for the Recreation and Parks Department salaries and wages were reduced by $44,574 and decreased benefits by $19,366 with a net savings of $27,450. The new cleaning service will fall under the Facilities Management department for outside services with a cost of $36,400.
Economic and Community Development Director Galen Weibley will be resigning by December 28, 2023, with the position remaining vacant for the first quarter of 2024 The salaries and wages will be reduced by $20,416 and a decrease in benefits of $6,243 for net savings of $26,659.
For the Public Safety Building, an additional dispatch position was removed from the initial 2024 budget that yielded a net savings of $79,565.
After a review by the city’s Finance Department of the Fire Departments EMS revenue and projections for 2023 they concluded that the city can increase the Fire Department’s revenue by $100,000.
The city will use the trade in value of the old 2010 John Deer tractor to cover the first year’s payment of the 5-year lease to own the new tractor with a net savings of $75,000. The tractor is used by the Rec and Parks Department for ground maintenance.
