MAPLETON, Maine — The select boards of Mapleton, Castle Hill, and Chapman approved their respective proposed 2024 budgets during a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
The joint select board vote to finalize the joint budget items of the three towns will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the Mapleton, Castle Hill, and Chapman Town Office in Mapleton.
The proposed 2024 budget for Mapleton is $396,494, up from $299,639 last year; Castle Hill’s is $98,972, down from last year’s $100,218; and Chapman’s is $122,926, up significantly from last year’s $44,538.
Combined revenue received by the three towns is projected to be $1.6 million in 2024, a slight decrease from last year’s $1.7 million. Chapman’s revenue projection is $326,562, down from last year’s $388,231; Castle Hill has a revenue projection of $295,106, up from last year’s $271,617; and Mapleton projects a revenue of $987,482, down from last year’s $1,044,500.
State revenue sharing projections are $252,583 for Mapleton, $58,058 for Castle Hill, and $78,940 for Chapman.
The proposed 2024 Highway Department budget for all three towns is $685,102, an increase of $23,586 from last year’s $660,802.
Chapman’s proposed 2024 highway department budget is $171,824, down from last year’s $183,560; Castle Hill is $156,751, up from last year’s $151,102; and Mapleton is $356,527, up from last year’s $343,882.
Community Services for all three towns had a proposed 2024 budget of $41,828 that is slightly higher than last year’s $38,252.
The Community Services budget for Chapman is $7,615, up slightly from last year’s $7,226; Castle Hill is $6,367, up from last year’s $4,762; and Mapleton is $27,846, up from last year’s $26,265.
The combined proposed 2024 budget for the Recreation Department for all three towns is $73,208, an increase of $8,080 from last year’s $67,018. Chapman is $12,709, up from last year’s $11,688; Castle Hill is $10,095, up from last year’s $9,225; and Mapleton is $50,396, up from last year’s $46,095.
The increase in costs is due an expansion of an extra little league baseball team in 2023, salaries of various departments within the Recreation Department, and increased building utility expenses with electricity being the highest.
The combined Recreation Reserve for all three towns had an increase of $1,000 from last year’s $7,501 to $8,500 for the proposed 2024 budget, which is adjusted for inflation. Mapleton is $5,851, up from last year’s $5,159; Castle Hill is $1,172, up from last year’s $1,036, and Chapman is $1,476, up from last year’s $1,306.
Lastly, the combined General Assistance proposed 2024 budget for all three towns is the same as 2023 at $14,000, with only $250 being spent by Mapleton last year.
