News

Voters approve Gray budget
Town Meeting voters approve 5 million budget
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--As over 100 people filed into Newbegin Gym at 8 a.m. the temperature climbed higher than it had been all year, but had no effect on tempers, which remained calm and civil, as in the best New England traditions.

The Gym was soon filled and moderator Donnie Carroll was elected again to fulfill the duties of running the annual meeting at which voters approve or amend the council-produced budget. The Town Charter says that a Town Meeting is required for approval of the annual budget. It is the citizens who approve it, not the Council.

The gathering voted yes to Article 2 to accept state aid and grants and Article 3 to give the Council its $10,000 stipend.

Article 4 was the main budget motion, and Mary Bosse moved to have the entire budget passed as written, $4,998,716. John Welch made a motion to amend that amount to $4,860,000. Mr. Welch's proposal was a 4.5% increase instead of the originally proposed 7.5% increase. Right, Tsukroff.

About forty-five minutes of discussion ensued. Library Trustee John Giles warned that the voters' action last year resulted in a reduction of hours to the Library. Last year citizens voted to decrease the proposed 14% increase to 5%.
Janet Neal stated that the tax rate would be lowered only because some of the budget money is coming from reserves and cash savings. "That's what reserves are there for," Ms. Neal said. But she expressed concern about relying on the Undesignated Fund Balance (UFB). As revenues become more accurately predicted and the UFB less available, there would be an increase in the tax rate. "So, if there were no UFB to tap into next year, our municipal milrate would have to go up 21% just to cover this year's level of spending. I just want to make you aware of that," she said. Left, Giles.

Nathan Tsukroff admonished the crowd by saying that Town meeting is not the time to discuss the municipal budget. "I trust the Council and their work in preparing this budget. To come at the last minute to the checkout counter is not the time to debate the budget, it's the wrong time." Right, Neal

By 8:45 the question was moved by Richard Barter and a two-thirds majority voted to support that motion, which immediately ends debate. Mr. Welch's amendment to approve the budget at $4,860,000 dollars was now on the floor. It was defeated by the majority.

Now Ms. Bosse's main motion was on the floor, ready to be discussed.
Carol West moved the question, and Moderator Carroll allowed her motion to stand, which angered Jim Monroe. He raised a point of order. Mr. Monroe asked how debate could be ended when it had not yet started. The original budget passed by the majority.

The budget had been reorganized this year, with all articles bundled into the main budget figure. When the discussion about funding Articles 13-21 took place, Mr. Monroe said that he now realized that had had no opportunity to debate the merits of those individual articles, only the previous amendment figure, because the articles had been bundled together. "I feel duped," he said.

After a few cirrections, Articles 13-21, authorizing spnding from reserves and the UFB, passed overwhelmingly.

The meeting adjourned shortly after, and residents spilled out into the sunshine knowing that their two collegial hours were spent in important endeavor, but their regular Saturday tasks still awaited.

Sidebar:

According to the "The Manager Plan in Maine" published by the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy, "Several Maine municipalities have the town meeting-council-manager form [of government]. It is used by municipalities with populations between 1,000 and 10,000. Approximately 40 percent of municipalities with the town meeting-council-manager form have adopted this form of government since 1970. In other municipalities, the town meeting is retained for the primary purpose of approving and adopting the annual town budget with all other legislative and residual powers of the town vested in the elected town council." This is the case in Gray.

Again, from the Manager Plan in Maine," The Maine town meeting-council-manager form features a small council of either five or seven members that is elected at-large and on a non-partisan basis. In addition to sharing the municipal legislative powers with the town meeting, the council is vested with the executive-administrative authority of the town.

The council then appoints a town manager who is accorded supervisory, appointment and budgetary authority. Essentially, the Maine town meeting-council-manager charter provides for a sharing or a division of the legislative powers of the municipality between the town meeting and the council."

Photos-- The Monument: Elizabeth Prata