FARMINGTON — Selectmen agreed Tuesday to recommend a “pay as you go” method for funding a five-year road plan through raising taxes rather than borrowing funds. The Budget Committee previously came to the same conclusion.

Now it’s up to taxpayers to discuss it and vote at the annual town meeting in March.

Board members previously accepted the plan, one that prioritizes roads and reconstruction projects according to current conditions and traffic but waited to decide on funding.

The options were to raise the funds through taxation, $133,000 the first year, $226,000 the second year and then an average of $250,000 for the remaining years. A second option was to borrow on a 10-year term from either the Municipal Bond Bank or a private bank and use state gas-tax revenue or Urban-Rural Initiative Program funds of $170,000 now received by the town for interest on the loan.

Selectman Ryan Morgan was hesitant to raise taxes but realized the need to address the roads. He thought the issue might draw more voters to the meeting for the discussion.

“We have to start somewhere,” he said of the No. 1 issue he hears about from citizens — the roads.

Budget Committee members felt borrowing money for 10 years could mean the roads selected for reconstruction may need work by the time the money was paid back, committee Chairman Josh Bell told the board. 

Selectman Andrew Hufnagel also opposed borrowing when the amount of interest, estimated at about $300,000, could fund one road project.

The board voted unanimously to add a warrant item to see if the town would raise the $133,000 this year in addition to the $4,784,465 proposed budget.

The board agreed with the Budget Committee on all recommendations within the proposed budget Tuesday during a special meeting held to prepare for the town warrant.

Once again, the only differences between requested amounts and recommendations fell in the area of outside agencies.

With a vote of 3-2, selectmen agreed to recommend no funding for Safe Voices, formerly Abused Women’s Advocacy Project. Selectmen Hufnagel, Morgan and Dennis Pike voted for no funding, Chairman Stephan Bunker and Jessica Berry voted for funding.

The Budget Committee, with a vote of 8-1, also recommended no funding for the organization, which requested a $5,250 donation from the town, $250 more than last year. 

During town meeting voters approved the donation, overruling the recommendations.

“It’s not the dollar amount. It’s philosophical,” said Hufnagel. “Taxpayers have to give to an association they may not believe in.”

He would rather see these agencies hold events and fundraisers and let people support them on an individual basis.

The board was split on whether to agree with the Budget Committee’s recommendation of $2,000 for the Red Cross for the same reason. Hufnagel and Morgan opposed the donation while Bunker, Pike and Berry approved the recommendation of $2,000.

Other outside agencies, such as the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, SeniorsPlus and Work First, did not request any funding this year.

The board recommended a request of $14,816 from Sandy River Recycling Association but questioned the increase of $3,882 or 35.5 percent over last year.

The price received on recyclables is down, and two towns have dropped out over the past two years, Town Manager Richard Davis said. The association is looking at changing the operation, perhaps to single sort, he added.

With increases in this amount, board members agreed the town may need to also look at changing to single-sort recycling. Davis suggested the town consider reactivating the Recycling Committee to look at options.

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