Chapman, Castle Hill, Mapleton OK budgets
Residents of Chapman, Castle Hill and Mapleton have approved budgets for their shared local government, although they’re waiting for the school district and county to know their full property taxes for next year.
In meetings during the second half of March, voters of the towns, with a collective population of 3,000, approved $1.6 million in municipal spending — $1 million for Mapleton, $302,000 for Castle Hill and $370,000 for Chapman.
“These two weeks that we take to go through the town meetings basically sets our year for us,” said Jon Frederick, manager for the towns, as Chapman’s meeting, the last of the three, was getting underway March 28. “It’s always a bit of a relief once you get through.”
The towns’ overall budgets are all increasing slightly, with spending that local taxpayers are responsible for going up by $16,000 in Mapleton, $6,000 in Castle Hill and $1,000 in Chapman.
Yet to be determined for taxpayers in the three communities are the county tax and the budget for the school district. School Administrative District 1, which also includes Presque Isle and Westfield, usually accounts for more than 70 percent of the property taxes in Castle Hill, Chapman and Mapleton, while the county tax usually accounts for 8 percent, Frederick said.
In SAD 1’s proposed budget for 2016-17, spending for the whole district would go up by about $1 million, and the property tax levies on Mapleton, Castle Hill and Chapman would all go up by more 10 percent to about $2 million collectively. District administrators say they are currently refining the budget and could still bring down the costs.
Among other items that came up at tri-town meetings this year, Castle Hill voters rejected proposals for a land use ordinance and a barking dog ordinance, while Chapman voters adopted a barking ordinance. Mapleton already has both a zoning ordinance as well as a dog barking ordinance.
The three towns are in good shape financially, with about $340,000 in capital reserves between them, Fredericks said. The towns have also tried to avoid taking on debt, with the exception of the shared landfill with Presque Isle, for which the towns are devoting $24,000 in debt service in 2016. “If we don’t have cash for it we, don’t buy it,” Fredericks said.
In the years ahead there are some fiscal challenges that Castle Hill, Chapman and Mapleton will have to confront, along with other towns. In 2017, Fredericks noted in the budget outline, Maine homestead exemptions will increase to $20,000 with state reimbursement covering 50 percent of the first $10,000 and 75 percent of the second $10,000.
“This will reduce our taxable valuation further, thereby increasing mill rates,” he said.
