RTM Makes Minor Cut In Second Day Of Review

Tuesday night, the Representative Town Meeting made its first cut: a $6,580 reduction in the proposed fire services budget, dropping the fire department's total for next year from $2,619,378 million to $2,612,780 million.

Other than that, the RTM approved every budget it reviewed Tuesday night as presented. Overall, the proposed budget for the , a 6 percent increase over this year’s total. Taxes should raise roughly 5.4 percent.

RTM members proposed a few other cuts. Two failed in 8-8 tie votes (16 of the board’s 22 members showed for the meeting), one a proposed $2,750 reduction in the fire services budget and the other a $700 proposed reduction in the building department’s budget. The $700 proposed cut was to eliminate a $700 line item for bottled water for employees in the building department.

Tuesday, the RTM approved budgets for the Zoning Board of Appeals, Economic Development Commission, Conservation Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, Building Department, Building Maintenance, Recreation and Parks Commission, Community Use of Schools, Fire Services, Fire Companies, Board of Selectmen, Current Year Capital Improvements, Transfer to Capital and Nonrecurring Expenditure Fund. The RTM will finalize the budget tonight.