By David Harry

Staff Writer

How to pay for schools still needs to be decided by voters, but the town council last week approved $32.2 million in municipal spending.

The municipal budget, approved 5-2 includes $1.9 million to pay for the town share of Cumberland County taxes, and increases the local tax commitment from $14.1 million to $14.8 million for town operations.

Councilors Jessica Holbrook and Ronald Ahlquist voted against the budget that takes effect July 1.

The increase comprises 16 cents of a possible 48-cent, 3.9 percent increase in property tax rates from $12.15 per $1,000 of assessed value to $12.63 per $1,000 of assessed value. The remainder of the possible increase is comprised of the school budget and local share of the Cumberland County budget.

The final tax rate will not be determined until a school budget is passed and Tax Assessor Paul Lesperance completes a valuation of all town properties this summer. Hall has estimates valuations will increase by  $20 million.

An additional $10 million in property valuation increases may occur because of reductions to Maine Homestead Exemption reimbursements to the town. The possible increase would mean property owners would pay an additional $144 on a $300,000 valuation. Lesperance estimated that 80 percent of local property taxes come from residential sources.

The final budget contained few changes to the original proposal from Town Manager Tom Hall. A town “circuit breaker” fund to assist senior citizens facing higher tax bills was increased by $25,000 to a balance of $140,000.

Revisions came largely from finance committee recommendations. Efforts by councilors Karen D’ Andrea and Holbrook to use additional town surplus to reduce the local tax burden were voted down because councilors worried about the effect on the town’s bond rating.

Councilors also approved adding $57,000 in contributions to local service agencies. Hall initially proposed eliminating all but $8,500 to be contributed to the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust and $10,000 to Project G.R.A.C.E. The council has not determined how the additional money will be spent.

Councilors approved the $34.9 million school budget voters rejected Tuesday, although Holbrook and Shawn Babine tried unsuccessfully to reduce the school budget local share after the addition of $670,000 in unanticipated state aid.

A 4-3 council vote against $668,000 for laptop computers for high school students as part of the $4.3 million capital improvements bond means the program will be postponed for at least a year.

Ahlquist said the timing was poor to buy 1,100 laptop computers and software needed to conform them to school curriculum. Councilors Holbrook, Shawn Babine and Judith Roy also voted against the plan, while Karen D’Andrea, Michael Wood and Council Chairman Carol Rancourt supported it.

Board of Education member John Cole said he expected the board’s capital improvements committee would try again next year to purchase computers, although additional demands for physical improvements on area schools will require money as well.

Cole, currently chairman of the committee, said this was the best time to address the gap that occurs when middle school students turn in state-provided laptops and move to the high school. The high school has approximately 200 computers available to 1,100 students.

“I’m a little disappointed, there was a significant amount of disinformation on what would have been spent,” Cole said.

Residents who objected to the program said the proposed purchase misused the purpose of the bonds and were concerned the lifespan of the laptops would be overshadowed by the term of bond payments.

Cole said the committee had not discussed provisions of the proposed bond to pay for the computers, because Town Manager Tom Hall is the one to work out those details. Hall told councilors the town would have sought shorter-term funding to pay for the laptops instead of a conventional 20-year bond.

“Can you get a good education by teaching from a chalkboard? You can, but you have to be thinking about global competition,” Cole said in supporting the laptop program.

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