NORWAY — Town Manager David Holt on Thursday presented a $4.7 million budget for 2016-17 that includes money for a future town garage but none for a fire station in North Norway.

The spending plan is $157,124 more than this fiscal year. It includes $340,600 for road improvements, town streets, sidewalks and bridge repairs.

“My job is to keep the tax rate stable,” Holt said. A “reasonable rate” is 3 to 5 percent annual budget increases, he said.

Holt told the Board of Selectmen that there are needs in town, such as a new highway garage, but a new garage doesn’t need to be anything more than a space to store equipment and a study should be conducted before it is totally funded.

Fire Chief Dennis Yates believes a fire station should be built in the north section of town, but Holt said he doesn’t necessarily agree with that and has not put anything in the budget for it this year.

“I think we’re getting by. I don’t think it’s an emergency today,” he said.

Of concern, he said, was a last-minute request by the Solid Waste Department for a 19 percent budget increase.

The department has requested $322,035 — a 19 percent or $157,149 increase over last year’s approved $270,632 budget.

Holt has only recommended a 9 percent increase or $295,535.

Holt said the request was made in large part to close a section of the Frost Hill, but because the request came in after the budget work was done, Holt said he was not in agreement with the full amount requested and because he did not want to make a “knee-jerk” reaction by taking money out of other department requests. He agreed to partially fund the request in his budget.

The Budget Committee, which was appointed Thursday night and will meet with department heads over the next month to develop its recommendations, will make a determination on that added request, Holt said. Town meeting voters will have the final say.

Holt said he is required by law to submit a balanced budget to the Board of Selectmen and voters each year, based on the town’s needs.

“There has never been a year I have requested more than the (department) requests,” he said.

The 12-member Budget Committee and the Board of Selectmen will meet with department heads and develop their budget recommendations.

Voters will act on the budget at the annual town meeting in June.

In other news, the board:

* Agreed to seek input from residents about whether the town clock should strike on the hour because of concerns from some downtown residents about the noise. The board has contracted with Jim Bryant to fix the striker, which has not been working for a while.

* Approved the event and accepted an invitation from Anne Sheehan, editor of the Advertiser Democrat, to participate in the annual Art Gouin Memorial Clean-Up and Community Pride Day on Saturday, May 14, from 8 to 11 a.m. Businesses and individuals are encourage to assist in the annual downtown Norway event by forming teams, sponsoring teams,  donating refreshments or by others means. The event was established to honor Gouin and remind residents of how caring for ones community can have a “tenfold payback.”

* Approved a liquor license for the Norway Country Club. The club renovated its dining area with a full bar to serve hard liquor in addition to beer and wine, and a full-service restaurant.

[email protected]