The Belfast City Council adopted a $13.42 million gross municipal budget on Tuesday that will reduce costs for taxpayers.
City Manager Erin Herbig said due to an increase in expected revenue, which is even higher than last year’s spike, Belfast residents will actually see municipal expenses funded through property taxes drop by nearly $700,000. It’s not yet clear how much of a savings that will mean for property taxes, though.
The increased revenue primarily comes from state revenue sharing as well as an increase in funds from permitting fees and site plans from several development projects in Belfast, Herbig said. The city has also been more successful in applying for grant funding for a number of projects. Those increases allowed the city to increase the budget for services such as road repairs and emergency equipment without increasing demand on residents.
“We’re growing from operating like a town to operating like a city,” Herbig said.
City Councilor Mary Mortier noted the highest costs to taxpayers are the public works department, emergency services and the city police department, which she said accurately reflects the city’s investment in services that benefit the most people in the community.
The council approved the budget Tuesday in a 4-0 vote, with Councilor Mike Hurley absent. The budget was developed through a series of nine budget meetings beginning in late May. A public hearing was held Tuesday before the approval. One person spoke in favor of the budget, and one person spoke against it.
City officials said that a big part of the lengthy process each year is reducing the burden on taxpayers when possible.
“There’s a conscious effort to maintain the quality of life we have while registering every penny, to make sure we don’t exceed pennies we don’t need to,” said Mayor Eric Sanders.
The city changed its budget process this year to increase transparency, Herbig said, so the numbers on the city budget aren’t directly comparable to last year’s budget. Combined with the RSU 71 budget passed in June, the total to be raised through property taxes this year is $17,685,988, an overall reduction of around $1.5 million.
The city’s still waiting on recommendations from the city’s tax assessor’s office on the mill rate, which determines the amount of money owed based on property assessments. City officials said those numbers, which will ultimately determine the burden on taxpayers, will be available in early September.
“I’m optimistic that, when all the paperwork gets filed and all the math gets done, that people will be pleased with the results,” said City Councilor Neal Harkness.
