PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City councilors heard the proposed budget from all the department heads during their budget workshop at City Hall on Wednesday night.
Interim city manager Lewis Cousins introduced the proposed 2024 budget with adjustments made by previous city manager Martin Puckett who resigned earlier this month.
Total municipal expenses for the city are estimated at $26 million, up from $25 million this year.
Operating fund revenue is projected at $11.7 million for 2024 an increase of $744,829 from this year’s $11 million. The 2023 comparisons are for this year to date.
Police Chief Laurie Kelly presented total expenses estimated at $1.7 million, compared to $1.1 million this year. She estimated revenue of $123,371 in 2024 compared to this year’s $31,875. Changes to the expense for the Police Department include asking for a second detective position that will not increase the department’s salaries and wages and allow for more staff to be out on patrol.
Projected call volume for the police department in 2023 is 13,000 for patrol with 432 projected detective calls and 528 arrests.
Total expenses for the Fire Department are estimated at $1.9 million compared to $1.3 million this year. Revenues are estimated at $1.5 million compared to this year’s $1.2 million.
The Presque Isle Fire Department has contracts for the next three years with Easton, Westfield, Mapleton, Castle Hill, Chapman, and Wade municipalities.
For the Finance Department, the total expenses are estimated at $417,578 compared to this year’s $300,319 with an increase of $17,000 for audit services and total revenues for 2024 estimated at $1.9 million compared to this year’s $1.4 million.
Public Works has estimated total expenses of $2.6 million compared to this year’s $1.9 million with total revenues expected to be at $28,980 compared to this year’s $17,810.
Solid waste has its total expenses estimated at $563,685 compared to this year’s $399,718 and $678,255 in total revenues for 2024 compared to this year’s $368,489.
Total expenses from Economic and Community Development are estimated at $234,053 compared to this year’s $146,758 with total revenues projected at $121,000 compared to $168,124. Economic and Community Development permit revenues have offset the salaries of the department staff, according to Economic and Community Development Director Galen Weibley.
A part-time code enforcement officer at 20 hours per week is proposed for Economic and Community Development to help with the workload of the full-time code enforcement officer Tim St. Peter.
City assessor budget for 2024 is proposed at $60,000, which is down by $21,250 from this year’s budget of $81,250.
Revenue from regional assessing was reduced based on some of the bigger towns like Fort Kent getting their own assessor, but are still doing the same amount of towns from when Presque Isle was awarded the Aroostook Managers Association grant in the amount of $350,000 in 2019.
The Library Department’s estimated expenses are $481,072 compared to this year’s $343,032.
Total revenues are $17,000 compared to this year’s $13,916. The Library Department’s main expense is salaries and wages increasing 3.12 percent from $266,166 to $369,222.
Most of the Library’s revenue comes from passport applications and finger printing service with hopes to expand their service, according to Library director Sonja Eyler. An uptick in passport applications is anticipated at the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library.
Rec & Parks has an estimated total expenses of $752,086 compared to this year’s $845,150 with total revenue of $80,000 compared to this year’s $272,486. The change in expenses is due to the formation of the Facilities Management Department and expenses related to The Forum, Splash Pad, and Mantle Lake.
Total expenses for the new Facilities Management Department are estimated at $724,436 with a total revenue of $259,500 presented by Facilities manager Tyler Clark, which is a starting point for the newly formed department.
“The Facilities department could tell each department what they need to budget for that maintenance side,” Clark said.
Last on the budget proposals was the Industrial Council with total expenses estimated at $461,570 for 2024 compared to $438,029 in 2023 and total revenues expected to be $1.1 million compared to this year’s $962,656.
The Industrial Council is a corporation established in 1961 that is separate from the city government. The revenues from the Industrial Council are generated through rents and land leases in the Industrial Park with one of the Industrial Council’s duties to maintain the assets within the Industrial Park, according to Industrial Council executive director Tom Powers.
