Lisbon Police Department and Town Office at 300 Lisbon St. in Lisbon. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) .

After four hours of sometimes tense discussions and input from a few unhappy residents, Lisbon councilors gave initial approval to a town budget Tuesday night that would result in only a small increase in property taxes because of deep cuts made to town operations and increases in service fees.

The total town budget for 2027 is a little more than $13.6 million, a 2.1% decrease from the roughly $13.9 million current year budget.

Just under $7.9 million of the new budget will be funded by property taxes, which is about 1.5% higher than the $7.7 million funded by taxpayers this year.

Using calculations based on the current year’s school budget and this year’s proposed municipal and county budgets, the mill rate would go down 4 cents from $17.25 to $17.21 per $1,000 of property value. But the school department’s budget is expected to increase this year, depending on how the public votes.

The town and school were hit hard this year by state funding decreases due to an increase in the town’s taxable property value. State revenue sharing funds for the town went down by $302,347, while the school will receive $438,562 less in its state subsidy.

The town’s property value went up by $4 million because of new developments, according to special advisor Jim Bennett. This shaved a bit off the current mill rate.

STRONG DIFFERENCES

The discussion turned contentious at times Tuesday, with some councilors opposed to making further reductions and others willing to make deep operational cuts.

Ultimately councilors cut the parks supervisor position, a cost savings of more than $70,000, though the town will incur an unemployment cost. They voted to sell an old fire truck and repurpose the equipment on the truck, resulting in a $150,000 savings. They also reduced Lisbon Emergency’s budget request by $65,636.

Nearly all of the decisions resulted in split votes among councilors Tuesday, but ultimately passed with a majority of at least four votes.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, councilors had already made deep cuts to the town’s operating budget, including saving $225,000 annually by contracting with the county for emergency dispatch services. The switch will also avoid the town having to spend $500,000 for radio upgrades, Bennett said.

The council also discussed raising some service costs in town, including sticker fees for the transfer station. Though there was no formal action taken to raise those fees Tuesday, the council will consider doubling the fee from $52 per year to $104 per year at a future meeting.

Sewer rates are also going to increase by 4.5%. It will result in the average bill for a family of four increasing by $10 quarterly.

PUBLIC SPEAKS OUT

Councilors took heat Tuesday from some members of the public who vehemently opposed some of the cuts being made.

One resident spoke out against the council cutting a position in the police department and ending the town’s dispatch service, and criticized them for attacking the fire department.

Another resident spoke passionately, even yelling at councilors at times, against the council’s police and dispatch decisions, concerned that it could impact public safety.

Resident Steve Welsh shared his frustration of being denied access to the transfer station before he moved back to town. He still owned property and paid property taxes in town even if he didn’t live there, he said.

He also took issue with the idea of relying more on the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office after the town decided not to fill the vacant police department position. “You guys are asinine,” he told councilors.

One person spoke at the meeting asking councilors to make more cuts, even if it means cutting staff positions.

There was public outrage last year when councilors passed a steep budget increase. It stemmed from miscalculations in budgets going back a couple of years, which resulted in the town essentially using much more money from the town reserves to cover budget shortfalls during that time.

Since then a new slate of councilors campaigning on reigning in property tax increases was voted in.

Councilors have scheduled a second reading of the proposed 2027 budget for their next meeting, May 19. If approved, the new budget will take effect July 1.