PRESQUE ISLE, ME — Despite a reduction in revenue from the state, MSAD 1 officials say this year’s budget has a reduced cost to taxpayers and so far this budget season things are moving along thanks to “great citizen engagement” with residents taking advantage of opportunities to give feedback over the past two months.
“Even though we lost state revenue, we were able to cut enough cost to absorb the state reduction and come back with a reduction to local taxpayers,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Clint Deschene said Thursday, March 30.
The district’s proposed budget is down $350,809 in expenses, which is a 1.44 percent decrease, according to SAD1.org.
MSAD 1 lost $222,313 in state subsidy, however administrators say if the state hadn’t reduced subsidy below last year’s allocation, the five-community district would have reduced property taxes by 4.08 percent.
“We’re not losing students in an extremely rapid pace, although we’re in a decline, but again our costs to operate are growing every year. Fixed costs: health, utilities, fuel everything just keeps going up,” Deschene said.
Last Wednesday the MSAD 1 board met to approve warrants for the upcoming budget. Board members ultimately accepted all warrants. Area residents will have the opportunity to participate in budget discussion on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium. The validation vote will take place May 2 in each community.
The board also unanimously approved Wednesday evening to proceed with the application for a capital project funded by the state. Superintendent Brian Carpenter said the state might score MSAD 1 for approval of the project some time next February.
“So basically we’re sitting here unknowing what we would score and it’s our hope that we score well, but based on our buildings, I think, when the state comes and looks at them, they’re going to say ‘no.’ If we score in the top 30 we’ll be happy, if we score in the top 20 then we’ll probably get a project 15 years from now,” Carpenter said.
The superintendent said efforts to renovate or expand existing schools is risky since unexpected issues can make early cost projections unrealistic.
“(The buildings) all look great inside,” he added. “It’s the stuff the general public doesn’t see. They don’t see the roof, the mechanical systems, what’s in the walls … if we tear off walls we’re kind of afraid of what we’re going to find in there. Probably asbestos and that opens up a whole new can of worms.”
