By David Harry
Staff Writer

As department heads tighten budget belts this year, they should be prepared to yank harder for the 2011 municipal budget.
That’s the assessment of Town Manager Tom Hall, who last week asked for $300,000 in spending cuts from municipal departments to compensate for decreased state revenue sharing.
“This is revenue lost; I needed to step it up from a causal request,” said Hall about asking administrators to cut specific dollar amounts from each budget.  
No municipal positions have been eliminated because of the cuts, Hall said.
The public works department headed by Mike Shaw must cope with the biggest cut, $91,000.
Hall said most of the money will be saved by eliminating the annual day when residents can drop off large and bulky items at the transfer station without paying disposal fees.
Canceling the event, historically used by about 400 residents, saves $41,000, Hall said.
Public safety departments rank second and third in reductions, Hall said.
The police budget cut of $63,000 will be offset mostly because an officer in the department currently is serving with the Maine Police Academy, which is paying the salary. Hall said the officer’s position will not be filled in town.
Faced with a $46,000 cut, Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said he understands times are tough.
“Anyone paying attention understands the country and state are having difficulty,” Thurlow said.
The cuts will be felt in training for non-union firefighters in the department of 188 employees, Thurlow said.
Thurlow said he’s frustrated by the loss of the state revenue that’s causing the cuts.
 “The state is saving money on the backs of local taxpayers,” he said.
Hall said the state decreased revenue sharing by $245,000 for the current budget and cut $98,000 from a road maintenance fund called the Urban Rural Initiative Program.
Hall said Scarborough has $97,200 in a town overlay account used to pay property tax abatements because local property valuations totaled $38 million instead of the $30 million used to calculate the current budget.
Money from the overlay account is shifted to a general surplus fund at the end of the fiscal year, and Hall anticipates the town will use $50,000 to help close the current budget gap.
Professional training in town departments has largely been eliminated, Hall said. Planning department training not needed to maintain professional certifications will be cut to help save $12,000.
A rebound in commercial construction and revenues from permits fees will help the planning department, Hall said. Those fees were budgeted in the current budget at $200,000 less than fiscal year 2009, Hall said.
Those who want to view the spring newsletter from the Scarborough Public Library will need to see it online, as the printed version will not be produced to help save $11,000, Hall said.
By Wednesday, Hall said he was uncertain how a $30,000 cut to the Community Services budget would be made.
“This is clearly just the warm-up,” Hall said about cuts in state funding.
 The $350,000 reduction in state revenues is a starting point for the 2011 budget. Additional cuts in the state education subsidies complicate the picture because the Board of Education may need town help to cope with a projected $3 million reduction, Hall said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219