LIVERMORE — Before Tuesday night’s combined Budget Committee and selectpersons’ meeting, $39,129 had been cut from the budget proposed for next year. However, some of the town’s more costly accounts and equipment needs had yet to be taken up and the two panels disagreed on how much to commit for highway capital improvements.

A total of $320,000 had been proposed for highway capital improvements next year. Road foreman Roger Ferland spoke of work planned on the River Road that would include grinding, replacing two culverts, and building the road up anywhere from 4 to 12 inches in the 7,000-foot section from Center Road to the Merrill farm area.

Carrie Castonguay, the town’s administrative assistant, said a top coat was planned on South Road and there’s a spot at the top of Botka Hill Road in need of attention. “If it can be saved, it’s to your advantage,” she said.

There is $245,000 in the account from last year.

Selectperson Megan Dion asked, “Where’s the line?”

Selectperson Rod Newman said the town has been doing about a mile per year to specifications and not coming back to it until years later. “We need to do at least two miles per year,” he said.

The Budget Committee voted to recommend $280,000 for highway capital improvements, the same amount set last year.

Committee members Brenda Merrill and John Wakefield voted against the motion.

Selectpersons disagreed with the amount.

“That would put us back to less than a mile of road,” Newman said.

The selectpersons voted to propose $300,000 for highway capital improvements.

The preliminary proposal for the maintenance account was for $53,309 or $23,909 more than last year. That increase included $5,000 for radon mitigation at the Town Office; $6,000 for security cameras at the Town Office, town garage and transfer station; $10,000 for a new furnace; and $1,000 for electrical repairs at the town garage.

It was decided last week to see if grant funds might be available for installing security cameras at the Town Office and transfer station. With oil prices down, $500 was deducted from the Town Office and town garage heating oil expenses.

Furnace costs were researched and estimates ranged from $6,400 to $11,000. Using the lowest figure shaved $3,600 from the budget and repairing the counter at the Town Office was put off for another year, saving an additional $750. 

If voters approve a new sand/salt shed at the town meeting, there will be no place to store refrigerators, tires and other items at the transfer station after the old one is torn down. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection wants those items under cover, so $3,350 was included to purchase and install a 20-foot, used waterproof container, if needed. The final maintenance budget, approved by both committees, was $47,309. 

Half of the $20,000 proposed for the JCB backhoe loader repair account was also cut. The loader will need repairs to the transmission system even if the town agrees to purchase a new backhoe. Budget Committee member Warren Forbes abstained from voting.

Selectpersons voted $26,848 to cover the final two payments on the Volvo wheeler. The Budget Committee does not vote on this account.

The budget also includes $201,284 for county taxes and $1.94 million for Livermore’s share of the school budget. County taxes are up $7,033, while the Regional School Unit 73 commitment is up $108,168.

Using the $300,000 for highway capital improvements recommended by the selectpersons, Livermore’s total proposed budget for next year is $3.50 million. 

That’s $149,455 more than last year and does not include the cost for equipment or the sand/salt shed that will be taken up elsewhere in the town meeting.

A total of $115,201 of the increase is from county taxes and the school budget, over which the town has no control.

[email protected]