By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — With the Caribou City Council slated to vote on the 2013 expense and capital expense budget, the councilors briefly expressed their ideas regarding the soon-to-be determined budget.
Mayor Kenneth Murchison was the first on the seven-person board to express his opinion on what he called “modest goals” — his hopes of holding the budget to last year’s level, but expressed that he would like to see a modest pay increase for employees if the revenues were there.
“I didn’t see the need to adopt super austerity measures at this time, and it’s apparent to me that the general public neither wants nor needs these kind of drastic cuts,” he said. “We’re still getting used to our revaluation, and this is also the first year for this new budget process with our charter, and I think that drastic swings one way or another are not the thing to do this year,” Murchison added, mentioning his opinion that small adjustments are the way to move forward.
Following the mayor was Councilor David Martin, who stated his goals of keeping the budget “within one or two percent [of last year’s numbers], and hope to make up difference on the revenue side.”
Councilor Philip MacDonough expressed his goal of trying to maintain what the council had set for a budget in 2012 — a sentiment councilor Gary Aiken echoed with one exception.
“My one exception is that library roof, because I know it has to be done and hopefully we can make the cut somewhere else, but in my mind, we don’t have a choice — the library roof has to be fixed,” he said. “Whether there will be extra revenues to cover it or whether we have to cut somewhere else in order to do it, I just feel it has to be done.”
Councilor Joan Theriault reiterated with the board that some of the citizens are asking for last year’s budget less 5 percent. While she did state that a 5 percent reduction probably couldn’t happen, she was very clear about what she did not want to see.
“I don’t’ want to see a tax increase for sure,” Theriault stated. “No matter how we do it, I would not like to see another tax increase this year,” she added, mentioning that the council should at least hold the budget at last year’s level.
Councilors Mary Kate Barbosa and John Boone also expressed that they want to hold the line on the budget.
“I think there’s some areas where we can trim a little bit,” he said, adding that he was not in favor of eliminating an entire department other than what the council had already discussed in regard to the office of economic and community development.
After the councilors had shared their thoughts on the expense and capital expense budget, the community was given an opportunity to respond. Community member Milo Haney took the opportunity to tell the council that a 5 percent budget cut “needs to be done and it should be done.”
“I don’t think it’s asking too much … but I think [the departments] should still cut 5 percent,” Haney stated. “I believe we are the smallest city north of Bangor and we are the largest departments north of Bangor. Something’s wrong with this picture,” he added.
At the start of the meeting, community member John Swanberg spoke to the council regarding the new charter and the budget process.
A member of the Caribou Charter Commission, Swanberg thanked the council for their hard work putting the budget together over the last few months, but emphasized that there is no wiggle room in the date that the expense budget and capital expense budget need to be approved.
Referencing that the budgets are slated to be voted on and approved during the next council meeting on Monday, Dec. 10, Swanberg explained that it has to be a complete budget on Dec. 10 in order to go through the process outlined in the new charter.
“Obviously it’s taken a lot of work to convert [from the old budget process to the new one], but once it’s done — if it’s done correctly — following it from here on in, from year to year, going forward should be a fairly easy process to do,” he said.
After listening to Swanberg’s suggestion for the council regarding the new charter, Mayor Murchison thanked Swanberg for his assistance.
“I was reminded by Councilor MacDonough that we wish to thank you, John, for the time you’ve put in on this,” the Mayor said. “You’ve showed up to every meeting, you stay behind to speak with each of us and we appreciate your guidance.”
During the council meeting, the council tabled action on the proposed move of the ambulance billing office to the Lions Building, taking action on a grant for the airport, and they approved the replacement of the upstairs carpet of the city building for $16,900; it’s been 20 years since the carpet was last replaced.
Before the council meets for their 7 p.m. meeting on Dec. 10, they will convene tonight at 6 p.m. in the Councilors Chambers for a workshop on the expense budget.
